


Ain't No Sense In...

by route357 (checktheargyle)



Category: KAT-TUN (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-03-21
Updated: 2012-04-24
Packaged: 2017-11-04 05:53:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 38,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/390497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/checktheargyle/pseuds/route357
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You should come with a warning, you should be wearing a sign." Alternate universe where Yuichi is probably the most eligible bachelor in the country (partly because he's rich, really really rich), and Kame is working as a mascot for BUN-NI-Sweets! bakery.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title and the quote in the summary comes from the song "Ain't No Sense In Love" by Take That. Brainstorming and writing for the story started sometime in 2010, but first chapter only posted online on 21.03.2011.

Kame felt hot.  
  
Unfortunately, no, it was nothing remotely close to ‘hot' in a sexy way.  
  
While it was true - and he wasn't being arrogant - that he generally looked pretty good in anything he wore, he doubt anyone could make this look sexy in any way.  
  
Maybe if they made it wear a maid costume….  
  
Ok, it was certified. The heat was making his brain fried.  
  
Even though he had several weeks of practice, and could now call himself a bona-fide true blue mascot of the BUN-NI-Sweets! outlet, doing the whole dance routine in a rabbit-suit and all, one thing that had not improved was how hot it was wearing the outfit.  
  
"Irrashaimase!" Kame did another skip and handed out the flyer to a passing couple.  
  
He could just imagine it now, his whole family, decked out in their white coats, looking at him accusingly with raised eyebrows. But despite knowing that he'd look a lot more appealing in those white coats, Kame would rather not be stuck in that depressing place doing something he had zero interest in anyway.  
  
Suddenly, he felt something vibrate. Ah, yes. He had his mobile phone in the checkered shirt pocket of his white rabbit suit. Now if he could only get his paws on it and –  
  
Smack! Kame felt something shove at him, sending him sideways on the concrete. The next moment he felt another weight sprawled across his fake plush belly.  
  
"Ah! Gomen nasai!" Peering through the slits of the rabbit head, Kame could vaguely make out a thin figure struggling to get up. "Sorry, I was in a rush. It's my fault. Do you need a hand?"  
  
A hand appeared in front of Kame's (or well, the rabbit's) face. Kame lifted his hand (paws) up to take what he must say were really pretty hands…  
  
Pretty hands and a cute face.  
  
"Daijoubu? Eh, Usagi-san?" Cute Guy whose name he didn't know asked, concerned.  
  
Kame (Usagi-san) nodded.  
  
"Ah, that's good. I'm so sorry-" A honk blasted in the distance, causing the guy to look over at a car hurriedly. "-but I'm in a hurry. Sorry again!"  
  
Cute Guy disappeared into the cake shop before Kame could decide whether to put his moves on him.  
  
 _Muri da yo na._ He was in a freaking rabbit suit for God's sake.  
  
Kame turned his attention instead to the phone on the ground. He wondered who had called him and was about to check his missed call list when he realized there was something terribly wrong with his wallpaper.  
  
It wasn't so much terrible as there was Cute Guy's face staring up at him, but terrible as Cute Guy was in a two-shot with what was most likely The Girlfriend. Ah, what a waste.  
  
Kame shrugged and looked around. The more important thing was of course getting his actual phone back and returning the one with the offending couple shot in his hand. He finally spotted the thin parka-kitted figure running and getting into the sports car that had honked at them earlier. Picking up his padded feet, Kame (Usagi-san) started running towards to the departing vehicle.

* * * * *

"Yuichi, what the hell did you do? Why the fuck is there a killer-rabbit running after my car?"

"Eh?" Yuichi turned back to see what Jin saw in his rear view mirror.

"Should I go faster? Before it fucking hijacks and kills us? Or worse – scratches my car!"

"No, no. Stop the car. I'm sure Usagi-san means no harm."

"...‘Usagi-san'. What, are you a girl or something?" Jin retorted as he pulled the car to a stop.

"Urusai." Yuichi shot back as he rolled down the car window and greeted the rabbit suited figure that just caught up. "Hai?"

Wordlessly, a mobile phone was held up in front of him. "Oh that's mine! Eh, but-" Yuichi stuffed his hand into his pocket and pulled out another phone of the same model. "Oh did I get them mixed up just now?"

The rabbit just nodded.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Here you go." The phones exchanged hands (paws). "Thanks for coming up to switch it".

"You look fucking scary Mr. Rabbit". Jin quipped as Yuichi smacked him on the head.

"Please ignore him." Yuichi apologized as Jin protested that Usagi-san translated into Mr. Rabbit in English.

The rabbit simply shrugged and turned to walk away as he stuffed the phone in his pocket.

"What a weird rabbit."

* * * * *

What was he doing here again?

The thought went through Yuichi's head for the hundredth time that day as he sat in the restaurant kitchen, hiding. Because out there, the kitchen staff were all being part of the stage show set for Jin's marriage proposal to Erika, while everyone else weren't supposed to turn up until half an hour later for Erika's surprise birthday party.

Well at least he had his beloved strawberry shortcake for company.

"You're supposed to be happy for him, Nakamaru Yuichi." He mumbled to himself as he took another bite. "Not sitting here feeling utterly miserable."

Yuichi sighed, wondering what he did in his past life to find himself in such a depressing situation at the moment. The average outsider would probably chastised him for thinking that way. After all, he was the son of the Nakamaru family, heir to the multi-billionaire organisation that his family runs. He had a pretty girlfriend who was a TV announcer, and his parents adored her. His life was 'perfect'.

Except for the fact that he was in love with his best friend, whose gender happens to be similar to his own.

He'd known Jin since childhood, the latter's parents being close friends to his own even before either kid was born. It wasn't that Yuichi's been in love with Jin all his life or something, although he couldn't even remember when he realised his feelings so it must have been some time ago. Knowing that it was a one-sided affair, and that given his status he was expected to have a girlfriend, get married, and produce the next heir, Yuichi had talked himself into not harbouring any hopes.

So when Yuichi learnt that Jin was planning to propose to his girlfriend, he was only a tad bit disappointed. Or so he told himself anyway. Well at least it helped that Yuichi actually liked Jin's current girlfriend, unlike all of the previous ones.

Hearing the sound of loud applause coming from the main restaurant, Yuichi took it as a sign that Jin had succeeded in his proposal. Sighing, he put down the fork to slap his face lightly, as he spoke to himself. "Remember, you have to be happy for him. This is what best friends do."

Picking up his fork again, Yuichi started on his second slice of cake. He made a sound of appreciation as he took a bite, feeling his mood lift with the sweet taste. The sound of a camera flash took him by surprise and he looked up to see someone standing at the back door of the kitchen, camera covering the person's face. The camera flashed again.

"Hey!" Yuichi protested, a hand lifting to shield his face.

"Sorry, you just looked so happy eating a piece of cake I just felt the need to capture such a simple moment of happiness." The Mysterious Camera Guy said as he put down his camera that hung around his neck.

Yuichi lowered his hand to take a proper look at the other person and found himself slightly speechless. Decked out in normal white t-shirt and blue jeans, 'ridiculously gorgeous' were the words going through Yuichi's mind at the moment, his cake, Jin, Erika, and the marriage proposal temporarily forgotten.

"There's some cream at the side..." Ridiculously Gorgeous and Mysterious Camera Guy pointed towards his own mouth, a small smile appearing on his face, which made Yuichi think that such an expression should be illegal.

"Oh." It took a couple of seconds before Yuichi registered what the other was saying, looking around for a tissue, slightly embarrassed for looking like a fool. Suddenly, Yuichi felt a piece of tissue at the side of his mouth, and he looked up to see that the Ridiculously Gorgeous and Mysterious Camera Guy was now only inches away, helping to clean the cream off his face.

He should just die from embarrassment now.

"There." Ridiculously Gorgeous and Mysterious Camera Guy said, still smiling, as he removed the tissue and turned to throw it into the nearest bin. "So, I assume that the proposal went well?"

"Eh?" Yuichi blinked, before realising what the other was talking about. "Oh yeah, I think so, judging by the applause... Wait, how did you know?"

"Well, Erika was kinda suspicious about it already, but don't tell Akanishi that." The other said, before sticking out a hand. "Sorry, I'm being rude. I'm Kamenashi Kazuya by the way, Erika's best friend."

Ah, so this was _the_ Kamenashi Kazuya that Jin had mentioned before. Erika's childhood sweetheart who was currently staying with her, and whom Jin had been worried about. Yuichi had wondered what the other was like for Jin to actually feel threatened - after all, his best friend had a hell lot of self-confidence – but now clearly understood why Jin had felt that way.

Yuichi shook the hand held out towards him. "Nakamaru Yuichi, Jin's best friend. And erm, sorry, I don't usually look so stupid." He said, making a vague indication at his face in reference to what had happened a minute ago.

Kame just grinned. "Stupid wouldn't be the word I would use to describe my first impression of you."

"No? You're not going to say that I looked like a glutton who can't properly aim food into his mouth, are you?"

Laughing, Kame shook his head. "By the way, please don't let my presence here stop you from finishing your cake."

"Oh, okay." Yuichi nodded once, then stared at his unfinished piece of cake. He suddenly felt self-conscious, slowly cutting a small piece to avoid looking like he was butchering the cake, then lifted the fork. But just as he was about to put the piece of cake into his mouth, he tilted his head, hesitating, as he worried about getting cream at the side of his mouth again. Sighing loudly, he put down the fork, giving up.

"Hm, is something wrong?" Kame asked, a tinge of amusement in his voice.

"I can't eat when you're sitting there staring and not eating."

"Okay, I'll be heading out then." Kame pointed towards the main dining area where sounds of other guests arriving could be heard. "Gotta go congratulate them."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to chase you away..." Yuichi said sheepishly but Kame just waved to indicate that he wasn't offended in any way.

Pausing at the entrance, Kame turned back to Yuichi. "Ne, why don't you choose me instead of Akanishi?"

Before Yuichi could react, Kame had already walked out of the kitchen, leaving the other spluttering.

* * * * *

"She said 'yes'!" Those were the first words out of Jin's mouth when Yuichi had walked out of the kitchen towards his best friend. In the end, he wasn't even able to finish his cake because his mind was too busy whirling at 200 km/h.

"Yes, it's kinda obvious from all the cheers and the applause you know." Yuichi remarked, trying to focus his attention on his best friend instead of worrying about the implications of Kame's words. "You look like you're drunk."

So what if Kame might have overheard his own mutterings --- although he doesn't remember saying anything really incriminating --- and figured out that Yuichi had not just friendly feelings towards Jin? There's no evidence of any sort so Yuichi could just vehemently deny any accusations thrown his way. He even had a girlfriend for an alibi. Innocent until proven guilty. Ignoring that though, what was with the whole 'choose me instead of him' thing?!

"I'm not drunk! Well I might have drank a bit before she arrived but I'm not that bad at holding my liquor." Jin pretended to be miffed, before breaking out into a huge smile once again. "You'll be my best man right?"

"Didn't you already ask me that this morning?"

"I did? Oh I forgot."

"Yeah, you know, while you were being uncool and pani-"

"Shh, don't ruin my image, baka!" Jin hit Yuichi on the head. Lowering his volume, Jin continued. "Thanks though, for trying to calm me down. Don't think I could have pulled this off without your help."

"What are best friends for, right?" Yuichi said. "You owe me more cake though."

"What? Didn't you already eat two slices?!" Jin complained. "And don't be such a girl. You seriously eat too much sweet stuff for a guy."

"That's a stereotype." Yuichi grumbled. "And if anyone's a girl, it's you and your high pitch screams."

"Hey, you scream at high pitch too."

"Gee, I wonder what Erika-chan got herself into, agreeing to marry you."

"What are you talking about? I'm the best guy for her out there." Jin said smugly.

"So confident now, are we? I remember how you used to worry about her best friend being a rival..." Yuichi teased, but started to regret it because it just reminded him of his encounter with Kame and those damn words. Yuichi decided that he needed to talk to Kame again, in private, just to give himself a peace of mind.

"Oh, speaking of Kamenashi, have you met him? He should be somewhere..." Jin began, as he glanced around the room. "You know, Erika joked that she'll try to convince him to be her maid of honour. Ah, she's calling me over. Talk to you later." Jin said, patting Yuichi on the shoulder before making his way towards where Erika was.

Glancing around the room as well, Yuichi spotted Kame taking a photo of a group of girls, before being quickly surrounded by them. He watched as Kame flirted with them a bit, before dismissing himself with the excuse of having to take more photos of everyone else at the party, moving on to a group of guys he recognised as some of Jin's university classmates. One of said classmates, whose name Yuichi couldn't remember as he never had classes with the guy but whom Yuichi was very sure was gay and had a crush on Jin, seemed completely charmed by Kame already.

Kame, in the meantime, continued to emit pheromones to every corner of the room or something.

Yuichi tsked at the sight before him, somehow feeling irritated although he wasn't sure why. Brushing it off as being overly paranoid about what the other had said to him, Yuichi walked towards Kame hoping to pull him aside from all the adoration in order to question the guy, when someone blocked his way.

"Yuichi-kun! Sorry I'm late! There was a last minute meeting again."

Ah, his girlfriend. That would mean he probably wouldn't be able to find an opportunity to interrogate Kame, at least not tonight. It also signalled that it was time to really get his act together and be the perfect boyfriend, to avoid rousing suspicion.

"Don't worry, Maki, I'm sure Erika-chan will understand."

Just then, loud squeals of 'The ring is so beautiful!' and 'Kamenashi-kun, you should take a close-up of this ring!' could be heard from a group of girls surrounding Erika and Jin, attracting both of their attention.

"Ring?" Maki looked at Yuichi, curious.

"Ah, yeah. Jin proposed before the party."

"Really?" Maki's eyes seemed to light up. "Then I must go over and congratulate them! C'mon." Grabbing Yuichi's hand, she pulled him towards Erika and Jin. Yuichi tried not to groan as he noticed that Kame was standing next to them too. Yuichi prayed that the guy wouldn't say anything incriminating to the couple.

"Erika-san, Akanishi-san, congratulations!"

"Oh, hey, and thank you." Erika greeted Maki politely, as the other girls seemed to disperse, leaving the five of them.

"Let me see the ring." Maki said, letting go of Yuichi's hand to take hold of Erika's. "Hm, it looks quite nice. Not what I expected. But I guess it really suits you though. Don't you think so, Yuichi-kun?"

"Hm? Ah, yeah." Yuichi answered, somewhat distracted as he tried to avoid looking at Kame and his damn pheromones. "Well, Jin took a really long time to pick it, so it had better be good."

"Don't ever doubt my good taste." Jin remarked proudly and was promptly hit on the head lightly by his fiancee.

"We should take a picture, the four of us!" Maki suddenly declared, before turning to Kame. "Good, you've hired a photographer. Could you please take a picture of us?"

Yuichi's face paled a little seeing Erika's face darken slightly upon hearing Maki's tone, knowing that his girlfriend had misunderstood and not realised that Kame was actually Erika's best friend. Jin looked like he was about to correct Maki but Kame spoke first, taking things in his stride.

"Sure." Kame agreed, moving into position and instructing them to stand close. After about two shots, Erika interrupted.

"Hey Jin, take a picture of Kazuya and I, will you? I can't not have a photo of my best friend and I after all."

"Oh." Maki said softly, realising her mistake.

"No need for Akanishi to help us take the picture." Kame remarked. "You, just stand there." He pointed at Erika, before putting fingers on his left hand in a victory sign and holding onto his camera with his right, taking a picture.

"Hey, that doesn't count! It's only your hand in the picture!"

"Well too bad cos I'm not letting Akanishi come anywhere near my baby, especially after what he did to our kitchen the last time."

"Touche." Jin rolled his eyes, before suddenly remembering something. "Oh yeah, I forgot to introduce you guys." Pointing at Yuichi and Maki, Jin continued. "This big nose guy here is my best friend Yuichi, and that's his girlfriend." Turning to Yuichi, Jin finished the introductions. "And this camera guy here is Kamenashi."

"Nice to meet you two." Kame smiled at the two of them, eyes twinkling at Yuichi, pretending that they hadn't met earlier in the kitchen. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've still got a job to do." He said, pointing at his camera and walking away before anyone else could say anything.

There seemed to be an awkward tension among the four of them, caused by Kame's last words. Uncomfortable with the silence, Yuichi turned to his girlfriend. "You must be hungry, let's go get some food." Holding her by the elbow, he guided her away, worried that she might say something else. When they were near the food tables, Maki looked at him sheepishly.

"I didn't know... Maybe I should apologise..."

"It's okay, don't worry about it." Yuichi was quick to say, not wanting Maki to have any chance to talk to Kame again. Better to make sure that Kame didn't have any chance of saying anything about Jin to Maki. "What do you want to eat? You must be tired from work. Let me go get the food for you."

"Ah, there's no need." Maki stopped Yuichi. "I actually have to get back to work now. They're considering a new variety show and I might get a chance to be a co-host so I need to go for the meeting."

"I see." Yuichi nodded. "Can't let the chance slip away. Don't you want to grab a quick bite before going?"

"It's okay, they'll provide food there."

"Okay... Well, I didn't drive today since I got a ride from Jin, so I can't send you back to office. Plus I probably have to stay on to help Jin get home since he'll get drunk or something. I'll call a taxi for you?"

Maki's face fell slightly, before she tried to put on a smile. "Oh, okay. I understand." Taking out a wrapped gift from her bag, she passed it to Yuichi. "I forgot to give this to Erika-san earlier, could you please help me pass it to her, or pass it to Akanishi-san?"

"Sure." Yuichi nodded, taking the gift from her, before taking out his phone to dial for a taxi. When the call was done, he walked Maki out of the restaurant towards the curb side as they waited for the taxi to come. "Don't stay too late, alright?"

"Don't worry, my manager will be there so I'll get a lift home." Maki said.

"Good, good." Yuichi nodded. "So I'll see you tomorrow evening?"

"Tomorrow evening?" Maki tilted her head. "Oh, the dinner party, I forgot! I have work tomorrow as well, I'm not sure what time it'll end... I'm so sorry!"

"Oh, I see. Well, don't worry about it. It's just a business party, full of corporate people, everyone pretending to be nice to each other, you'll be bored to death anyway."

"Are you sure? I could try to see if my manager can cancel-"

"No, don't do that. It's work, so it's not good to just cancel like that. What if it affects your chance on the new show?" Yuichi pointed out, just as the taxi arrived. "It'll be fine. I'll have Jin for company anyway so you can just focus on your work."

"Alright, if you say so." Maki sighed. "Work's just been so hectic lately... Well I better get going before I get scolded. Remember to pass my gift to Erika-san and apologise on my behalf for leaving so early."

"Yeah, I will."

"Goodnight." Maki said, hesitating about getting into the taxi as she waited for Yuichi to give her a goodbye kiss but none came. Giving up, she got in, waving lightly at her boyfriend. "Well, bye."

"Goodnight." Yuichi waved as the taxi pulled away. He sighed, feeling strangely relieved at Maki's departure from the party.

"You two are just so madly in love, huh?" Yuichi heard a familiar voice behind him. He turned, raising an eyebrow at Kame, who was leaning against the wall, a cigarette in his hand.

"What's with the sarcasm?"

"You really need to improve your taste in both men and women."

"Maki's the perfect girlfriend." Yuichi defended his girlfriend, ignoring the fact that Kame had said 'men' in his comment as well. Okay, so Maki had probably somewhat offended Kame earlier, but did the guy have to be so petty about it?

Ignoring Yuichi's protest, Kame continued. "Well I've got to give Akanishi credit for not being some fake bimbo."

Okay, now that was too much.

"Maki's not fake! You don't even know her so who are you to judge her?" Yuichi shot back.

"Do you even really love her? From the way I see it, you don't look like you care for her like a boyfriend. No goodnight kiss?" Kame questioned. "What's so good about her anyway? Other than the fact that she's rich and famous and fits your parents' criteria of a wife for their son?"

"Of course I love her." Yuichi replied, ignoring Kame's jibe. It was the first day meeting Kame and the latter had already made his way to the top of Yuichi's list of people he didn't really like at the moment. "She's a very nice person who regularly visits the children's home and donates to children's charities. She's a great cook. She's smart and capable. She's pretty, and I mean the natural kind who doesn't put thick layers of make-up on her face that make most girls look plastic. She laughs at my stupid jokes."

"So basically you just love the idea of her, but not really her."

"You're just unhappy with the fact that there's actually someone in that room who wasn't swept off their feet by your charms." Okay, he wasn't quite sure where _that_ came from, but he was too pissed off with Kame right now to care what he was saying. Why was this guy picking on him?!

"So you're implying that everyone else, with the exception of your girlfriend, my best friend and her fiance, were swept off their feet by my charms?" Kame grinned. "Including you."

Yuichi spluttered, baffled once again my Kame's comments. First the Jin thing and now concluding that he was attracted to Kame? Although admittedly, Yuichi had to give brownie points to Kame for being right on both counts but since there was no concrete evidence, he was going to strongly deny it.

"You. Are. Delusional." Yuichi said slowly, emphasizing each word. This only caused Kame to laugh out loud in amusement. Yuichi had to tell himself to ignore the fact that Kame looked really cute laughing like that. Now was not the time to have such pointless thoughts.

"Guess that makes both of us." Kame smiled, before stubbing out his cigarette. Coughing to clear his throat, he took on a more serious tone. "You know, if you're doing all this just because it's what your family expects of you, you're not going to have a happy life. Sometimes... Sometimes, you just have to throw away all those expectations and just do what makes you happy."

Yuichi frowned. "Easy for you to say. What would you know about family expectations?"

Kame merely shrugged, before waving and walking back into the restaurant. Yuichi sighed, thinking about Kame's words. If only it was that easy.

* * * * *


	2. Chapter 2

“Is it just me, or are more than half of these photos just pictures of Nakamaru-kun?” Erika asked as she looked at some of the photos that Kame was hanging up. The two of them were in Kame’s home-made darkroom where he was developing the pictures he had taken the night before. “Wasn’t it supposed to be my birthday party? And yet, he’s the star of the show according to your camera.”  
  
“He turns out good in black and white, doesn’t he?” Kame remarked.  
  
“You know he has a girlfriend right?” Erika pointed out.  
  
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be bisexual like me.” Kame countered. “Plus, his girlfriend’s kind of plastic and I’m way more attractive.”  
  
Erika laughed. “You’ve only known her for like, five minutes? And you already have the same opinion of her as I do.”  
  
“She made my hair stand.”  
  
“Did you hear what she said when she saw my ring?” Erika made a face. “She’s always doing this, talking to me like I’m some poor, inferior thing. And when she thought that you were just a hired photographer…”  
  
“Yes, yes, I could totally see the steam coming out from both sides of your ears.” Kame joked. “Honestly, don’t quite get why he can’t see past her facade.”  
  
“Jin says that it’s probably because Nakamaru-kun’s parents like her too.” Erika sighed. “Apparently, Nakamaru-kun has ideas in his head about what is expected of him and does what he’s expected, so Jin claims that nothing he says would change his best friend’s mind about that bitch.”  
  
“Tsk, tsk, you just called her a bitch.” Kame chided.  
  
“Well you haven’t seen the worst of her yet.”  
  
“Wouldn’t want to.”  
  
“Ignoring her, because really she’s not worth our time… when you’re done with the photos, can you give me some cooking lessons?” Erika asked, changing the subject.  
  
Kame snickered. “What? Worried that your future husband will be mad at you for not being a good cook? Doesn’t he have a ton of servants waiting at his feet anyway?”  
  
“Regardless of that, I would like to be able to cook at least a few dishes for him, right?” Erika pouted. “What kind of wife would I be if I can’t even cook her husband’s favourite dish but her best friend can?”  
  
“Favourite dish?” Kame tilted his head. “Doesn’t Akanishi eat _everything_? Even badly cooked food.”  
  
“Hey! Don’t be so mean.” Erika hit Kame lightly. “And he’ll probably whine at me for telling you this but he really adores the pasta you make. Whenever we go to Italian restaurants he’ll be like ‘I hate to say this but this tastes like crap in comparison to Kamenashi’s cooking’ in a slightly annoyed tone.”  
  
“I’m flattered.” Kame said, amused. “Thank him for the compliment but please let him know that I’m not interested.”  
  
Erika rolled her eyes. “What a pity. The two of you will make the perfect bickering couple. And man, you two will look so hot together.”  
  
“Why are you pairing your fiance with your best friend?” Kame raised an eyebrow. “I wonder what Akanishi would say if he knows the sort of weird fantasies you have.”  
  
“He’d probably freak out.” Erika laughed. “So, anyway, are you going to teach me how to cook or not?”  
  
“Hmm…” Kame pondered. “Only if you invite Nakamaru-kun to dinner.”  
  
“Huh? Don’t be crazy. What reason would I give for inviting him?”  
  
“Well, he did help Akanishi out with the party and the engagement right? So you could just make up some lame excuse of wanting to thank him for his help. The four of us can have dinner, here in this apartment, with dishes prepared by both of us.” Kame suggested. “They say, after all, that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”  
  
“Okay, I so need to get this on camera. Kamenashi Kazuya trying and failing to seduce a guy.”  
  
Kame crossed his arms in front of his chest. “And what makes you think I would fail?”  
  
“Kazuya, I know that in the past you’ve managed to make straight guys turn gay for you, but well… No offence to Nakamaru-kun, but he doesn’t look like he’s interested in anybody, regardless of gender.”  
  
“Really?” Kame bit his tongue, not wanting to say anything about Yuichi’s feelings for Jin. It wouldn’t do anyone good anyway, revealing such a secret. “Guess that makes him a challenge.”  
  
“Kazuya…” Erika began in a warning tone.  
  
“What?” Kame looked at Erika innocently. “I won’t do anything to hurt his feelings, so don’t worry. In the meantime, shouldn’t you be off making some phone calls to arrange for the dinner party? Next weekend should be good. Gives you time to master the recipes. Oh, and don’t forget to ask what’s Nakamaru-kun’s favourite food.”  
  
“Yes, sir.” Erika mock saluted her best friend. “But if he says ‘no’, I’m not forcing him to come.”  
  
“Don’t worry. He’ll come.”  
  
“Confident, aren’t we?”  
  
Kame smiled. “You just make the initial invitation. Leave the rest to me.”  
  
“I really should get a camcorder for this.”  
  
“I’ll make sure it’s an interesting show.”

* * * * *

Yuichi returned from his meeting to find a pink box in the middle of his desk. Frowning, he picked up the envelope that was placed on top of the box. There were two photographs and a folded note. The first photograph was a black and white shot of him eating cake, and Yuichi immediately knew who had sent the package.  
  
“What’s Kamenashi-kun up to now?” Yuichi mumbled to himself before putting the first photo back into the envelope so that no one could see his stupid-looking self.  
  
Then he found himself smiling at the next picture. It was a picture of ‘Usagi-san’, the rabbit mascot he had collided into that very same day he had met Kame. In the picture, ‘Usagi-san’ was striking a cute pose at the camera. It was then that he noticed the brand on the pink box — big bold cartoonish words saying ‘BUN-NI-Sweets!’ plastered on the top. Opening the box, he found four slices of cake, two were of his favourite strawberry shortcake, one that looked like a mango cake, and the other tiramisu. He wasn’t sure how Kame knew that his cake was from that particular shop, but he wasn’t about to complain about getting free cake!  
  
For some reason, Yuichi decided to flip the photo, and found a message written behind it: Usagi-san hopes to see you at BUN-NI-Sweets!  
  
Yuichi laughed. It did partially amuse him that Kame gave the same nickname to the rabbit mascot. Turning his attention to the folded slip of paper, Yuichi settled into his seat as he unfolded the note to see what Kame had written.  
  
 _Dear Nakamaru-san,_

_Apologies if I offended you the other day. Please accept these four slices of cake as my apology. I would’ve gotten you more of the strawberry shortcake but these were the last two slices, so I went for the other two that are popular with the crowds too. I hope to make it up to you this weekend as well. Looking forward to seeing you at the mini dinner party!_

_Cheers!_  
Kazuya  
  
Yuichi sighed, remembering the dinner that Jin had mentioned. It appeared that Erika wanted to thank them both for the birthday party by inviting the two of them to her apartment and cooking dinner for them. He was reluctant to go at first because he didn’t want to be like a lamp post, but it seemed like Kame was going to be there too, obviously, since he stayed with Erika after all. Add the fact that Jin said it was Erika’s first time cooking and he was worried that the food would be bad, but didn’t know how to react and ‘needed’ Yuichi there to make sure he didn’t say anything stupid.  
  
Looking at Kame’s note again, Yuichi turned to the cake, picking up the plastic fork and digging into the mango-flavoured one. It was delicious, as expected from his favourite cake shop. Assuming that Kame must have taken the effort to queue regardless of how long the queues were — and they tended to be quite long at most times of the day — Yuichi couldn’t help but feel like he should give the guy a second chance.  
  
Pulling out his organiser from his drawer, he flipped to the upcoming Sunday, reserving a slot in his schedule for the dinner at Kame’s and Erika’s house.

* * * * *

Jin took a mouthful of the pasta in front of him, chewing a bit before he swallowed.  
  
“Dou?” Erika asked, nervous. Although Kame had assured her that after a week the pasta was definitely edible and even close to his own standard, Erika was still worried that she might have screwed something up on the day itself.  
  
“It’s nice.”  
  
“Nice?”  
  
“Yep.” Jin nodded, proceeding to take another mouthful.  
  
“That’s it? Just ‘nice’?” Erika pouted.  
  
Seeing Erika’s reaction, Jin started to panic. “I’m not saying it’s nice because it’s bad and I don’t want to hurt your feelings! As in, it’s nice! I mean it! It’s definitely one of the better pastas I’ve had. It’s not, well…” Jin hesitated, seeing Kame sitting next to Erika and eyeing him, as if ready to take out the chopper to slice him into a thousand pieces if he said anything to hurt the girl. It didn’t help that Jin definitely did not want to voice out his opinion that of course his fiancee’s cooking wasn’t as good as Kame’s, because that would seem like an insult to Erika and boost Kame’s already overly huge ego.  
  
“Umai!” Another voice exclaimed, distracting the other three. Yuichi continued eating his meal, which unlike Jin’s, was a Japanese set complete with rice, miso soup, sliced sashimi, chawanmushi and tonkatsu. “This is delicious, Erika-chan!”  
  
Jin turned to Yuichi, grateful for Yuichi’s timely distraction. It helped that Yuichi was praising Erika’s cooking too.  
  
“That was made by Kazuya, actually.” Erika said sheepishly.  
  
“Oh.” Yuichi’s mouth formed an ‘O’ shape as he looked from Erika to Kame, the latter of whom was sitting directly across him. Kame had apparently started on his food, as if he wasn’t paying any attention, but Yuichi caught a small smile on the other’s face, clearly appreciating Yuichi’s compliment on his cooking.  
  
The reaction surprised Yuichi though. Somehow, he thought that Kame would be smirking at him right now, looking all proud and arrogant upon hearing that someone enjoyed his cooking.  
  
“In fact…” Erika continued, seeing that strangely enough, Kame wasn’t bothering to blow his trumpet in front of Yuichi. “…As embarrassing as it is to admit this, Kazuya even taught me how to cook the pasta. I swear, this guy’s probably good enough to be accepted into any culinary school and can probably open his own restaurant.”  
  
“No wonder this tastes a bit similar yet different…” Jin mumbled.  
  
“Yes, darling?”  
  
“Oh nothing, nothing.” Jin waved dismissively.  
  
Dinner carried on quite smoothly after Jin managed to sooth Erika, which somehow included him offering to do the dishes. Yuichi volunteered to help, but Erika waved him back saying that a guest shouldn’t be doing the dishes, and bustled off into the kitchen to make sure Jin didn’t break anything. Leaving him alone in the dining room with…  
  
“Would you like some tea?” Kame raised the teapot, indicating at Yuichi’s cup.  
  
“Um, yes, please. Thanks.” Yuichi nodded as Kame filled his cup. “Oh, thank you for the great dinner.”  
  
“Thank you for coming to dinner. And for enjoying it.” Kame smiled, as he sat down across the table. “I was worried that you might still be offended and wouldn’t come. I hope you got my note.”  
  
“Well, Erika-chan did invite me. And you did send your apologies. Thank you for the cake. You must have gone to a lot of trouble.”  
  
“Oh it was no trouble. I am really sorry for offending you, and I am sorry for making certain judgments about Maki.”  
  
“Ah, apology accepted. I admit I might I overreacted a bit.” Curling his fingers around the warm clay surface of this cup, Yuichi took a sip. “I should really learn how to stop taking everything to heart. I’m sure you were just kidding about some of the things you said and-”  
  
As Yuichi set down his tea, he felt a hand cover his own. Surprised, his eyes flickered up to look at Kame, who had leaned forward towards him. Yuichi instinctively looked away, startled a little by the intensity of the look.  
  
“I may be sorry about how I said certain things, but I’m not exactly going back on all the things that I said that night.” Kame’s voice came across steadily, almost at his ear. “Pick me over Akanishi, _Yu-i-chi_.”  
  
No, that was not his heart skipping a beat. And he was not blushing! _Get a grip!_ Yuichi scolded inwardly, trying to get his uncooperative body to move.  
  
Then he felt Kame let go of his hand.  
  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Yuichi finally managed as he glared at Kame.  
  
Kame said calmly. “I’m declaring my intentions to you. I’m going to make you fall in love with me, Nakamaru Yuichi.”  
  
“You’re a crazy egoistic person.”  
  
“You look really cute when you’re angry.” Kame grinned.  
  
“You’re just making fun.” Yuichi tried not to whine.  
  
“I’m serious about you though.” Kame said, his tone serious once again, although there was still a small smile on his face. “You’re going to fall in love with me. I’m going to make sure of it.”

* * * * *


	3. Chapter 3

Somehow, Yuichi managed to get himself out of the apartment after that, making some excuse to Erika and Jin that he didn't feel so well and wanted to make a move first. Erika shooed Jin off to drive Yuichi home, since they came in the same car. Yuichi didn't look at Kame on his way out, but he was certain that he could feel the other's gaze on him the whole time.  
  
The nerve of that Kamenashi. Was that man just insane or plain egoistic? What was with that declaration? Yuichi didn't know what to think.  
  
"Yuichi-kun. Hold on, it's this way. You missed the entrance." Maki's voice interrupted his wayward thoughts.  
  
"Oh, right. Sorry." Yuichi mumbled his apologies as he made his way into the lobby.  
  
It was about two weeks after the dinner party and Kame's declaration, and he was at an onsen hotel with Maki for the weekend. He hadn't heard from or seen Kame for the past two weeks, so it might have been a joke after all, Yuichi thought. He shook his head as told himself that he should really stop thinking about that incident, and concentrate on his trip with his girlfriend instead.  
  
The couple was shown to their room which came with a private bath. It was then that Yuichi suddenly realised another dilemma --- he was going to be staying overnight in the same room with Maki.  
  
Despite having been together for almost a year now, Yuichi had never dared to take the step beyond just holding hands and kissing. Of course, staying in the same room didn't exactly have to mean that it couldn't be something purely innocent, but somehow Yuichi had the feeling that Maki was keen to take them to the next level as a couple.  
  
The idea was oddly terrifying.  
  
While she fitted his mental checklist on what would make a great wife, at the back of his mind he still had that niggling doubt he actually wanted to carry through a marriage with any woman in the first place. This uncertainty held him back, as it felt like it was as good as making an impending marriage a done deal. Knowing Maki, she was going to expect an engagement ring, almost as if it was an exchange.  
  
"I'm going to use the bath." Maki announced. "What about you?"  
  
"Oh, you go ahead first." Yuichi quickly replied.  
  
Five minutes passed when he decided that he too should make use of the hot spring, but he opted for the public men's area that the hotel also provided. Taking off his yukata, and slippers, he placed them in a basket before stepping into a wash area to get a quick wash. Feeling overly aware of his nudity right now, he quickly grabbed a towel, which was so small it barely covered his lower half, as he walked into the bath area.  
  
Yuichi was about to heave a sigh of relief seeing that no one else was using the bath, when he noticed one of the workers cleaning it. _Guess it means I have to come back later._ Yuichi thought, and was about to turn around to leave when he had to do a double take.  
  
"Kamenashi?!"  
  
Said guy turned around, stopping midway in his scrubbing of the wooden boards. Kame smiled when he recognised the other. "Nakamaru-kun, what a coincidence!"  
  
"Coincidence? Don't lie! You're stalking me, aren't you?" Yuichi questioned, though he didn't know why that idea crossed his mind. While it was true that Kame was stalking him mentally, it was also true that the other hadn't come near him for days.  
  
Kame merely laughed though, instead of taking offense. "I wish I had the time to stalk you. But as you can see, I've been working."  
  
"You work here?"  
  
"Well, not permanently. Just helping out a friend for about two weeks then I'll head back to Tokyo after that." Kame explained. "I'm supposed to head back later today, in fact. But since you're here, maybe I'll extend my stay."  
  
"Er, you don't have to extend your stay. In fact, please don't do that."  
  
Kame shook his head in amusement. Then he noticed the lack of clothing on Yuichi, and unconsciously started to lick his lips. Seeing Kame's action, Yuichi gulped. Yet a small part of him was anticipating what Kame would do to "make him fall in love" with the other.  
  
"Please go ahead and use the hot spring. I'm almost done cleaning anyway." Kame said, gesturing at said hot spring. "But just to let you know, unlike the cake last time, I'm definitely not going to walk away. I'd rather much stay and watch."  
  
"Don't be a pervert!"  
  
"C'mon, we're both guys." Kame pointed out. "It's not like I'll be seeing anything that I don't already see on myself. What are you so afraid of? Not proud of what you have?"  
  
"Of course it's not that!" Yuichi replied, indignant.  
  
"If so, then you should remove that towel now and get in already." Kame said nonchalantly, before adding. "If not you'll be shivering from the cold because I can see that you're all wet. Wouldn't want you to get sick."  
  
Yuichi blinked, a little taken aback by Kame's sudden concern, but then remembered that the main point was that Kame wanted to see him naked.  
  
"You're just like Jin." Yuichi retorted. "What is with the two of you and your obsession with seeing other guys'... thing?"  
  
Hearing Jin's name, Kame scowled for a second, before suddenly having other ideas. Stepping towards Yuichi swiftly, he reached for the towel, wanting to pull it off. Unfortunately for him, Yuichi managed to dodge from his attack. The sudden movement caused Yuichi to slip though, falling right into the hot water.  
  
"Yuichi!"  
  
Yuichi felt like he was choking, water having gone through his mouth and nostrils, making it hard for him to breathe as he gasp for air. Luckily he was near the edge, allowing Kame to pull him out easily. Too busy coughing, Yuichi just let Kame throw towels around him, feeling too crappy at the moment to care about Kame wiping him dry like he was some baby. And that he was probably fully naked right now. He let Kame guide him out of the area, the younger guy helping him wear the yukata.  
  
"You didn't hit your head did you?" Kame asked, worry in his voice. Yuichi shook his head. "Where's your room? Let me help you back." Yuichi muttered his answer, still trying to cough out water, as the other guided him back to his room.  
  
"Yuichi-kun, what happened?" Maki asked as she saw the state Yuichi was in, before noticing Kame. "Oh, it's you."  
  
Seeing Maki there, and noting her sudden change in tone when she saw him, Kame decided that it was probably better that he left Yuichi in her care for now, albeit reluctantly.  
  
"He fell into the hot spring. I don't think he hit his head though but I'm just worried the heat might get to him." Kame said, explaining to Maki what had happened. "I guess I'll leave him in your care now."  
  
Maki merely nodded, not bothering to thank Kame, who wasn't expecting much from the girl anyway. Excusing himself, he left the room, hoping that he'd have a chance to meet Yuichi again later to apologise for making the other fall.  
  
"If you were going to use the bath, why didn't you just use the one we have?" Maki asked, after Yuichi had finally caught his breath.  
  
"Well, you were in there..."  
  
"It's big enough for two of us." Maki replied. "You wouldn't have had the accident if I was around."  
  
"Not necessarily... I'm pretty clumsy after all." Yuichi joked. "Anyway, Kamenashi-kun was there to help..."  
  
"Hmph." Maki made a noise of disapproval. "What's he doing here anyway? He works here?" Yuichi nodded. "What's he? Don't tell me he's a freeter?"  
  
"Eh..." Yuichi hesitated, realising he didn't know anything about Kame at all. He remembered Kame saying that he was only here working temporarily, but what kind of job did Kame do on a normal basis if he could so easily take time off to help a friend at an onsen hotel?  
  
"Anyway, I heard that he's staying with Erika-san." Maki continued. Yuichi wondered how she knew about that, since he didn't remember telling her about it. "If I was Akanishi-san, I would be wary of this Kamenashi stealing Erika."  
  
"Well, I think Jin probably was worried at first but realised that Erika and Kamenashi-kun are just friends and nothing more." Yuichi said. Now that he thought about it, why did Jin suddenly stop worrying? Did Jin know about Kame's sexual preferences? Although Yuichi had a feeling that Kame went for both genders.  
  
"If that's the case, then I'm willing to guess that the guy is gay." Maki said, making a face. "Which is probably why Akanishi-san isn't worried. But if that Kamenashi is gay, well that in itself is disgusting."  
  
"Maki, you shouldn't say such things." Yuichi remarked, suddenly feeling annoyed by what his girlfriend was saying. Of course, it didn't help that he, too, had feelings for a guy which probably made him gay, and therefore, in his girlfriend's opinion, 'disgusting'.  
  
"But it's the truth!" Maki replied. "Yeah, I know people will probably accuse me of being homophobic but please forgive me for not being like those average girls who take joy in reading those disgusting mangas about homosexuals."  
  
"Why do you keep saying it's disgusting?" Yuichi asked, frustration creeping into his voice.  
  
"What? You mean you don't think it's disgusting?" Maki returned the question. "Think about it! What if, since he's gay, Kamenashi decides to hit on Akanishi-san instead? Won't the idea make you disgusted? Come to think of it, Erika-san should be worried about her best friend trying to steal her boyfriend away! Or even worse. What if Akanishi-san's sexual preference leans that way too? Won't you feel uncomfortable with the fact that you've been best friends with a guy for years when he's actually gay? What if he tried to seduce you one day? "  
  
"Okay, that's enough!" Yuichi shouted, patience wearing thin.  
  
"It's just an example! You're disgusted by the thought too right?"  
  
"Yes, I'm disgusted. But not by the idea of anyone being gay. I'm disgusted that you would say such things!"  
  
"Why are you getting mad at me all of a sudden?" Maki shot back, not used to Yuichi getting angry at her, and he definitely never shouted at her before.  
  
"I just don't think that you should judge people when you hardly know them." Yuichi said, trying to calm himself down. "How would you feel if people said such nasty things behind your back just from meeting you for five minutes?"  
  
"Well I'm in the limelight so obviously I'll just take whatever comes my way and not let it affect me too much." Maki waved dismissively.  
  
"I can't believe this." Yuichi muttered.  
  
"I don't know why you're so upset." Maki said, clearly not understanding what had come over her boyfriend. "I think the heat must have gotten to you. Maybe you should just take a short nap and cool down."  
  
"It's nothing to do with the heat."  
  
"Whatever. You're clearly not in a good mood because of your accident earlier." Maki got up and walked towards her belongings. "I wanted to go with you to walk around the area but I guess I'm better off going on my own for now. Have a good rest. I'll see you later for dinner."  
  
Sighing, Yuichi watched in silence as Maki left, closing the door behind her. He pulled out a futon from the cupboard, lying on it and deciding that he should just sleep and hopefully by the time he wakes up, this nightmare of a trip would be over.

* * * * *

Kame frowned as he noticed Maki leaving the hotel, heading towards the small town area. Shouldn't she be staying to look after Yuichi? He knew he was probably worrying too much but he still expected a girlfriend to fuss over her boyfriend more in such a situation.

"Hiroki, can I borrow the master keys?" Kame said as he approached the reception counter where his friend was seated, reading a book.

Hiroki, son of the owners of the onsen hotel, looked up, raising an eyebrow at his friend. "Why would you need master keys for?"

"I need to check up on someone."

"Normally, if any of my staff ask for the keys, I would probably be worried that they intend to steal the belongings of our customers." Hiroki began. "But with you, I'm more worried that you'll rape them."

"Hey! When have I ever forced sex on anyone?" Kame replied defensively.

"Well they usually can't help but say yes when you literally charm them off their feet and emit all those pheromones. It's like practically shoving an ice cream down their throat and asking them to say 'no' to eating it."

"Hiroki, I'm very flattered that you think I have such great sexual appeal, but all I want to do is to check if one of our guests is feeling okay. You wouldn't want a corpse in here, would you?"

"Nobody is allowed to die on my watch." Hiroki remarked, pulling out the master keys from his pocket. He was about to hand them to Kame before he pulled back. "You don't need everything, just one key, right? May I ask, which room and who is this person you're so concerned about?"

"If you're so worried, you can come along."

"I'm just curious. None of our guests have received _such devoted attention_ before..."

"It's someone I know." Kame sighed.

"It's that Nakamaru-kun that Erika mentioned, isn't it? The one who's so a-sexual he isn't really interested in anybody, including you, which makes him 'a challenge'." Hiroki tsked. "I know there was a guy named 'Nakamaru' who checked in today, but didn't realise it was the same guy."

"Geez, do Erika and you gossip about me or something?"

"Well, of course! Your life is so colourful, the two of us could probably write a script out of it and make a television drama with a movie after that."

"To think that the two of you used to hate each other in the beginning." Kame rolled his eyes.

"Yes, yes. We bonded over gossiping over you. Still do." Hiroki nodded solemnly.

Tapping his foot, Kame stuck out his hand. "Keys?"

"Tsk. I am your boss, y'know Kazuya." Hiroki clicked his tongue before finding the key to Yuichi's room and handing it to Kame. "Please, no raping on the premises."

Kame stuck out his tongue. "I'll try my best not to."

* * * * *

Yuichi had his eyes closed, trying very hard to fall asleep but it was just too early in the day. He thought he heard a knock, and a few seconds passed before he could hear the sound of a key unlocking the door. Yuichi assumed that his girlfriend had forgotten something and was back to retrieve whatever it was. Not wanting to face her, he pretended to be asleep.

"Oh, he's asleep." Yuichi heard a voice, but was very sure that it wasn't Maki. It was a man's voice, and sounded a bit like Kame.

Not sure why Kame was in his room but not wanting to talk to Kame either, Yuichi kept his eyes shut. He could sense some movement as Kame approached him quietly, before he felt fingers brushing his hair aside. Yuichi tried not to shiver at the touch.

"So cute." He heard Kame mutter, and it took all of his strength not to react, as Kame continued. "Guess I was worrying too much. This is so unlike you, Kamenashi Kazuya."

Kame's fingers touched Yuichi's face once more, though he made sure to keep the touch as light as possible so as not to wake the other. His fingers moved towards Yuichi's lips, and seeing the opportunity presented before him, Kame leaned forward, placing a light kiss on the other.

Yuichi was shocked. Too shocked to even move as he felt the other's soft lips against his. It only lasted for a few seconds, but Yuichi could feel Kame's scent infiltrating all his senses. Then he heard a soft chuckle from the other boy.

"Really shouldn't kiss someone when he's sleeping. It's like kissing a dead guy."

 _Dead guy?!_ Yuichi's mind screamed, feeling kind of insulted. Well, it wasn't like he reacted to the kiss. But how could he? And even if he did react, he would probably not have kissed back anyway. Shoving the other away was a more likely reaction, right? Though right now he was pretty much too stunned to do anything.

A minute later, he could hear the door close, signaling Kame's departure. Yuichi's hand immediately flew to his lips, touching it as he remembered the sensation of being kissed. It didn't help that Kame smelt nice.

Getting up immediately as he realised what he was thinking, Yuichi felt that he was going to get a panic attack soon if he didn't leave this place immediately. It was a good thing that he had hardly unpacked, as he grabbed his bag and headed to the door.

Yuichi then stopped in mid-pace, realising that Maki would be confused if she didn't see him there. He turned back, looked around to find a piece of paper and pen, and started scribbling a short note, giving some excuse that he had urgent business to return to. He hoped that whatever argument they had today would be forgotten by the next time they met.

As for Kame... Well, that was something else he'll worry about on his way back.

* * * * *

Having had some time to himself to think on the train back, Yuichi realised that if he headed straight home now, he would most likely be facing questions about why he was back so soon in Tokyo, when he was supposed to be holidaying with his girlfriend. He couldn't hide out at Jin's place in the meantime either, not because the other would nag him on it, but rather because Jin was out of town on a trip with Erika.

Finally, he decided to hail a cab and head to his office. He doubted many people would be around, since it was a long weekend after all. Most of his staff would have gone off on trips as well. And if questioned, he could fall back on his original excuse that he had urgent business to attend to. He was the President after all. Who else would have more urgent business to attend to?

As he settled behind his desk, ready to just find some random work he probably had shelved somewhere to do, he was startled by a voice.

"And what, pray tell, dear President, are you doing here?"

"Geez, you startled me! Don't just sneak up like that."

"I was just being stealthy while checking out who was sneaking into the President's office. I didn't expect it would be the President himself."

"I wasn't sneaking. I was just, just coming in normally. Like always."

"Whatever for? It's the weekend. And if I recall correctly, which I'm sure I have, since I've a perfect memory, you are supposed to be away with the girlfriend."

"Ueda, its funny how you never just refer to her as Maki." Yuichi sighed. "Anyway, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to use the free electricity. And you still haven't answered my question."

There was brief pause as Yuichi looked up at the company's Chief Financial Officer.

"U-e-da!"

Ueda sighed as Yuichi dropped all his façade as the President aka his boss, and just plain whined as he pulled at his friend's jacket sleeve. "What is it now?"

"Got kissed…" was the muffled reply from the buried head on Ueda's shoulder.

"By the girlfriend? Didn't that already happen ages ago?"

"…Not Maki."

"No shit. Who the hell else would kiss you? It's not Akanishi for sure, since that twat's so straight he'll walk into a wall first."

No reply. Just more muffles.

"Oi, Nakamaru. Get off my clothes. This suit is expensive. And stop whining and start talking." Ueda pulled Yuichi off his shoulder. "So spill. Who kissed you and made you run away?"

"I didn't run away…"

Ueda gave him a pointed look.

"Ok, so I did. But I just panicked. I didn't expect Kamenashi to kiss me? He's always doing and saying weird stuff, but I didn't expect him to actually kiss me while I was sleeping!"

"And of course, this is a big deal, since it's your virgin kiss from a guy."

"Don't make fun of me."

"It's no big deal, y'know." Ueda said nonchalantly. He was pretty open-minded about such things, so he couldn't understand why Yuichi was reacting as if the sky had turned red.

"Are you saying that it's no big deal if a guy kissed you?"

"Yep. Unless of course it's you, then well, that would be kind of gross."

"Sou, sou, sou." Yuichi nodded, used to Ueda's insults in all kinds of situations. "Luckily for both of us, I have never thought of you in that way."

"Yes, lucky for me, you have bad taste in men."

"Hey, most people would disagree with you about Jin and Kamenashi." Yuichi retorted.

"Ah, you're admitting that you are thinking of this Kamenashi in that way?"

"That's not the point." Yuichi grumbled. "Anyway, so what should I do?"

"Why do you have to do anything?"

"Ueda…"

Ueda raised his hands to his glasses. "Seriously, why do you have to do anything? If you don't like him, it shouldn't be a big deal. And if you do find him attractive, then have a fling or something since both parties are willing. It's not like you have to get married to him just because the guy kissed you."

"But-"

"You just need to get this Kamenashi guy out of your system. And please do something about it like a normal guy with urges since the other party is willing, instead of pining over him like you did with Akanishi because that's just sad."

"But I have a girlfriend!"

"So you'll be cheating on your girlfriend whom you don't even like."

"Fine, I may not be deeply in love with her, but that doesn't mean I should cheat."

"What the hell, Nakamaru! Here you come begging me for advice and so I do give you some, since you look so pitiful, but when I actually give you some sound advice, you tell me that you won't follow it!"

"Okay, okay. Sorry. I'll…I'll think about it."

"That's exactly your problem. Stop thinking so much and just do something about it. Now, treat ore-sama for having the patience to listen to you whine."

"You just want a free meal."

"Hmph, I'll admit that. Now, let's go."

* * * * *

Kame stepped off the train, bag in his left hand, thrown across his shoulder. He had finished his 'temporary job' at Hiroki's family onsen, even managing to snap some shots of the natural scenery, and was pretty satisfied. Too bad he didn't manage to at least say goodbye to Yuichi before the other had hurriedly left, according to Hiroki, for urgent business. It was even more unfortunate that Yuichi's girlfriend hadn't left and had glared at Kame as if it was his fault that Yuichi had urgent business to attend to.

Humming softly to the song he was listening to, Kame headed to the stairs when he felt the vibration from his mobile phone. He pulled off one side of his ear phones before fishing in his pocket to answer the call.

"Moshi moshi... Ah, Atsuto? ...Dinner? Sure. Usual place? ...After that? Hm, we'll see... M'kay, see ya."

Kame made his way to the restaurant where he and Atsuto, his kouhai from university, usually met up for meals. Just as he reached the entrance and was about to enter, he felt an arm sling around his shoulder.

"I thought I was stood up!" Atsuto remarked as his way of greeting.

Kame rolled his eyes. "Aren't you the one who is usually busy? Too busy at the hospital giving your undivided attention to cute little kids to remember me."

"Tsk, tsk. Don't make me sound like a pedophile." Atsuto retorted at Kame’s reference to his work in pediatrics as the two made their way into the restaurant. "Anyway, none of them are as cute as you are, so you don't have to worry that I'll pick them over you."

"Haha, I should be so flattered." Kame replied sarcastically, as the two were about to head to their usual table, which was thankfully empty. It was then that he heard a familiar voice, making him turn his head so fast he was in danger of hurting his own neck.

"Ne, ne, is that a bruise on your wrist?"

Kame watched as Yuichi reached out to grab the hand of the guy opposite him, staring at the wrist as if there was something mildly interesting. Said guy pulled his hand back quickly, muttering something which Kame couldn't catch. He couldn't help but frown at the sight before him. _So this is the urgent business he had rushed off to?_

"Hey, what's wrong?" Atsuto waved a hand in front of Kame's face, noticing that the other was distracted. "You know those people?"

Kame turned back to his kouhai. "One of them... Hey, can we sit here instead?" He pointed to the nearest table, where he knew he was able to spy on Yuichi and whoever the other guy was.

"Eh, okay, anything's fine with me." Atsuto shrugged, not really bothered though he clearly knew Kame's intentions.

They ordered their dishes and at first, Kame tried his best to at least focus his attention on having a conversation with Atsuto instead of eavesdropping on Yuichi's conversation. It was becoming more difficult though, as his eyes kept straying towards Yuichi's table, noticing how Yuichi was getting more and more drunk, and more and more touchy towards the other man. After a while, he heard Atsuto chuckle.

"Gomen, gomen." Kame put his hands together, looking sheepish as he apologised.

"Maa, ii yo. You go on staring. It's easier for me, I don't even have to pretend to make conversation, and can just concentrate on eating, and getting a free meal from senpai."

"Ah yes, that is so typical of you." Kame laughed lightly, nodding, but his laughter was cut short when he saw Yuichi putting two arms on the other man's shoulders, leaning forward. Instinctively, Kame got up and stomped over, pulling Yuichi back by the shoulders.

Ueda, who had just been complaining about not realising that Yuichi was the clingy-drunk type, and had been threatening to punch his friend in the face if Yuichi didn't stop it soon, was surprised by someone suddenly pulling Yuichi away.

Yuichi, who had just been whining to Ueda about how he must have done something horrible in his past life for him to have such a complicated love life now, was a little taken aback by the sudden jerk of movements. However, he still did not notice Kame's presence next to him, and was more pre-occupied with taking another gulp of the beer.

Kame reached out, trying to pull the mug away from Yuichi but wasn't quick enough. Sighing, he focused his attention on the man across the table from Yuichi, irritated. "Who are you? You shouldn't let him get so drunk. Are you trying to do something funny?"

Raising an eyebrow, Ueda eyed Kame. "And who are you?"

"I'm his friend and I'm concerned."

Ueda was about to reply when Yuichi, who was still oblivious to Kame, interrupted them. "Ueda!" Yuichi hiccuped. "This beer tastes a bit funny! Haha!"

"If it tastes funny, you shouldn't drink so many glasses, you idiot."

Ignoring Ueda's jibe, Yuichi turned to his side, finally realising that someone was standing next to him. "Hm? Ueda! I'm seeing things! I see Kamenashi standing next to me!"

"Ah." Ueda turned his attention back to Kame. "So you're Kamenashi."

"And who might you be? You still haven't answered my question." Kame pressed, refusing to back down.

Ueda merely shrugged, somewhat amused by Kame's behaviour. He toyed with the idea of annoying Kame by insinuating certain things about his 'relationship' with Yuichi but decided that it was more important to get to his boxing training right now.

"I'm just the designated driver. But since I'm not in the mood to be so kind, you can do it, friend of Nakamaru." Ueda got up from his seat, patting Kame on the back as he moved to leave. "Don't worry, I'll tell the restaurant to put it on the company tab. Yoroshiku ne."

Waving behind him without looking, Ueda headed towards the the cashier, happy to let Kame take over. Yuichi would probably whine about Ueda being mean or something though. But really, Ueda was sure that after all, nothing (that bad) would happen to Yuichi.

* * * * *


	4. Chapter 4

Yuichi woke up with a hangover. A very bad hangover.  
  
His head was hurting so bad. The last time he let himself get this drunk was when Jin had dragged the both of them out to drink to celebrate their graduation. Since then, he had told himself to not let himself get so drunk because the hangover after that was not worth it at all.  
  
Then again, after what had happened, Yuichi figured that maybe this hangover was somewhat worth it, as at least he got a good night’s sleep. He doubted that he would have been able to sleep at all while sober, with all those confusing thoughts in his head.  
  
Speaking of being confused… Where was he?  
  
Yuichi tried to glance around to figure out his surroundings from where he lay. It didn’t look like his room, and he couldn’t remember what in the world Ueda’s house looked like, but one thing he was sure was that for some reason, there was someone sleeping next to him, or rather, draping all over him, preventing him from moving.  
  
 _Oh shit, this better not be Ueda!_  Yuichi’s mind screamed as he tried to figure out who was lying on top of him. His movements caused the other to stir, but the latter only adjusted his position a bit, leg seeming to make its way into the space just between Yuichi’s. Yuichi groaned as he felt the invading leg rub against his member, wondering if he should push the other off before the situation became awkward (if it wasn’t already). It was then that he managed to get a better look at the sleeping figure, his eyes landing on the other person’s face. A face that was so pretty, adorable, and gorgeous all at the same time. One that had been haunting him ever since he first laid his eyes on that face.  
  
Yuichi thought it was ridiculous how Kame could still look so damn good even when asleep.  
  
 _Wait, there’s something wrong with this situation…_  
  
Firstly, why was Kame next to him? Wasn’t he with Ueda last night, drinking his worries away? Had Ueda thrown him to the wolves?! And what’s more… Yuichi realised he wasn’t wearing any clothes and although he couldn’t really see it, he was pretty sure that Kame was completely naked too.  
  
Yuichi wiggled a bit, careful not to wake Kame up, but enough to note that his ass didn’t hurt. A very good sign, as it meant that he wasn’t taken advantage of by Kame. But could it have been the other way round? Especially since Yuichi was pretty sure Kame would have been very willing (given Kame’s flirting). Yuichi honestly didn’t think that he was the type who would do such a shameless thing though, even when he was drunk. Because he was confident that he had way more self-control than that, considering that he had never done anything with Jin even when Jin was drunk.  
  
Then again, Kame was extremely hot. Throw in the fact that the possibility of Kame seducing him last night was very high, and Ueda had put the idea into his head that there was nothing wrong with having a fling with Kame…  
  
Kame moved again, leg rubbing against Yuichi once more as his head now rested at the crook of Yuichi’s neck. Yuichi could feel Kame’s breath against his neck, causing shivers down his spine and the blood to rush towards his cock.  
  
Mentally groaning in his head, Yuichi used his free left hand to shake Kame’s shoulder, trying to wake the other up. “Kamenashi. Wake up.”  
  
“Mmm…” Kame mumbled, appearing reluctant to get up from his slumber. “A little bit longer.”  
  
“Kamenashi, if you don’t wake up now, I might have to attack you.” Yuichi tried threatening, though after saying it, he was thinking that Kame was more than likely to welcome it.  
  
Deciding to take matters into his own hands, Yuichi used the energy he still had left in him despite the hangover, and pushed Kame over so that Kame was lying on his back, and Yuichi was somehow straddled on top of him instead. Yuichi gulped at the sight below him, realising that this was going to be a true test of his self-control.  
  
“Aren’t you going to attack me?” Kame asked, eyes half-opened as he grinned slightly at Yuichi.  
  
“You were awake the whole time, weren’t you?” Yuichi retorted, slightly annoyed, his head and cock both throbbing, and it was all Kame’s fault after all. “I don’t know how I ended up-”  
  
Not letting Yuichi finish his sentence, Kame pulled the older boy towards himself to crash their lips together. Kame’s sudden action caused Yuichi’s arms, which had been holding himself at a distance from the former, to give way, and his body to crash onto the other’s. Not that Kame was complaining, moaning at the feeling of Yuichi’s cock rubbing against his own.  
  
“Fuck.” Yuichi cursed as he managed to pull away from Kame’s lips for a second.  
  
The after effects of last night’s drinking session were seriously not helping him focus in order to control himself. Ueda’s words filtered through his mind at that moment, telling him to screw self-control and to stop thinking so much. He stared down at Kame, who was looking back up at him expectantly, but not taking any action this time. Kame was letting him decide the next move.  
  
“Do you know how much you’re killing me right now?”  
  
Kame merely smiled back at him, not replying. This time, Yuichi was the one who closed the gap, capturing Kame’s lips hungrily. It shocked him somewhat that he had actually been wanting this for so long, probably since the first time he had laid eyes on the other. Nobody ever had that effect on him, not even Jin. And the control that Kame was letting him have right now, which surprised Yuichi as well considering how pushy Kame normally behaved, was turning him on even more.  
  
It didn’t take long for Kame to part his lips invitingly, letting Yuichi’s tongue delve into the caverns of his mouth. Yuichi’s aggression amused him, and he didn’t really mind it although he was normally more used to being in charge. Somehow, getting to see a very different side of Yuichi, a side that Kame suspected no one really saw before, was making Kame’s stomach do weird little flips. He wanted to groan in frustration when Yuichi broke the kiss, but moaned in delight when he felt those pair of lips kissing down the slope of his neck, felt Yuichi’s hips rolling against him.  
  
But then, Kame suddenly sensed some hesitation on Yuichi’s part, the aggression slowly ebbing away. Kame really hoped that Yuichi had not changed his mind, as Yuichi paused, pulling slightly away from Kame, his eyes looking away slightly. A thought came to Kame.  
  
“You’re… not sure how to go about doing this, are you?” Kame asked, trying his best not to sound offending though he couldn’t help but be amused by the situation.  
  
Yuichi hesitated, before shaking his head, embarrassed. “Sorry. It’s just- I’ve never- With a guy-”  
  
“Shh.” Kame put a finger to Yuichi’s lips. “It’s okay. Next time, I’ll teach you what to do. Today…” Kame’s hand moved from Yuichi’s lips down to between their bodies. Kame smirked as he grabbed Yuichi’s cock, causing the other to gasp. “Today, let me give you a hand.”

It was a good thing Yuichi didn’t immediately collapse onto Kame the moment he felt the latter’s hand on his member. Somehow, and Yuichi wasn’t so sure because his mind was too hazy at that moment, Kame had managed to maneuver them such that Yuichi was lying on his back this time, Kame hovering over him. Yuichi wanted to curse as he felt Kame’s finger stroking him slowly, teasingly. His arm moved to cover his eyes, too embarrassed to look at Kame right now.  
  
Kame’s fingers stopped when he noticed Yuichi biting his lips, trying to prevent a moan from escaping. Leaning forward, Kame blew into Yuichi’s left ear, causing Yuichi to jerk, a slight gasp escaping those lips. Lowering his voice, Kame whispered into Yuichi’s ear. “I want to hear you. And I’m just going to tease you more if you try to stop yourself from making any noise.”  
  
Yuichi hissed. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”  
  
“Yes, but not as much as you.”  
  
Yuichi was about to apologise again for being so pathetic and having to let Kame do the work because he ‘didn’t know how to’ but became confused when Kame got up and moved towards the end of the bed. “Hey, wait, you’re not gonna leave me like- Oh! Fuck!”  
  
Kame laughed as he heard Yuichi’s reaction to Kame deepthroating him, the sound causing vibration to Yuichi’s cock making the latter moan even louder. Yuichi watched as Kame’s head bobbed up and down, tongue occasionally darting out to lick at his balls. When Kame looked towards him, their eyes locking as the other continued his ministrations, Yuichi came without warning.  
  
“Hmm.” Kame hummed in satisfaction, ignoring the fact that his own cock was still hard and needed some attention too. Licking his lips, he moved forward to give Yuichi a quick peck on the lips. “You owe me.”

“Uh huh.” Yuichi just replied, too far gone to know what he was really saying. Kame just chuckled before forcing himself to get off the bed, heading to the bathroom to get himself off.

* * * * *

“So, did you have sex over the weekend?”  
  
Yuichi almost choked on the pasta he was eating, thankful that they were given a private booth so no one could see him look like an idiot. He quickly grabbed his glass of water. It had been a few days after that incident with Kame, and he wondered if the other had told Erika who had in turn told Jin. Yuichi really hoped not.  
  
“Why are you reacting like that? It’s not like you’re a virgin or something.” Jin teased. “Or does the thought of sleeping with your girlfriend make you flabbergasted?”  
  
Oh, so Jin was referring to Maki. Yuichi tried not to heave a huge sigh of relief.  
  
“Is that why you asked me to join you for lunch today? To ask me about my sex life?”  
  
“Well there’s that, and there’s the whole food tasting which I needed to do anyway.” Jin said, as he shoved another mouthful of pasta into his mouth, looking blissful as he did so. “This pasta is almost as good as Kamenashi’s.”  
  
“You’re thinking of buying over this restaurant?”  
  
“Yep. But don’t change the subject.”  
  
“Pft. Fine. No, I haven’t slept with her, if that’s what you’re asking.” Yuichi replied. Speaking of his girlfriend, she had left him a message demanding that he do something to make it up to her after abandoning the trip suddenly, blatantly ‘forgetting’ that she had argued with him about Kame. Yuichi had just apologised without making any promises, still too overwhelmed by his own thoughts. “I’ve told you before my reasons for not doing so.”  
  
“Now, I’m saying this because I’m your best friend.” Jin said, putting down his fork and suddenly taking on a serious tone. “I think you should break up with her.”  
  
Yuichi blinked. “Why? I never knew that you didn’t like her… You’ve never said anything before.”  
  
“I just think that you’re going about this the wrong way.” Jin said. “The fact that you worry about sleeping with her because you don’t want her to force you into marriage should already ring alarm bells, shouldn’t it?”  
  
“Jin, not everyone can be lucky like you.” Yuichi closed his eyes. “Not everyone can marry the person they’re in love with.”  
  
“You don’t even let yourself fall in love, Yuichi.” Jin sighed.  
  
“That’s not true.” Yuichi denied. How could Jin know? When the person Yuichi was in love with was sitting right there in front of him.  
  
“You pick girlfriends with some sort of mental checklist. If they fail to fulfill one of the points, you dump them. Though it’s just as well because all your ex-girlfriends only want your money, which is the only reason why none of them dumped you first despite your obvious lack of interest.”  
  
“Like I said, not everyone can be like you and be with the one they love, alright?” Yuichi shot back, getting a little irritated with Jin. “Because I’m not as lucky as you, that’s why I have to do things in a more practical way. Yes, I’m just heartless, but I have expectations to live up to, and unlike you, I actually make sure I live up to them.”  
  
“…Ouch.”  
  
“Jin…” Realising what he had just accused Jin of and regretting it immediately, Yuichi tried to salvage the situation. “Jin, I don’t mean it that way. I’m sor-”  
  
“No, no.” Jin put up a hand to stop his best friend from apologising. “You’re right. I used to be an immature brat who did whatever I want, and it’s only not long ago that I grew up a bit, especially now that I have to take over the business. But there’s no need for you to apologise because you were only stating the truth.”  
  
“Jin…” Yuichi began, not wanting to apologise anymore because he was sure his best friend would kick him in the head or something. “I’m sometimes jealous of how free-spirited you can be.”  
  
“You can be too, you know.” Jin said. “Don’t you think it’s time for you to relax a bit and think for yourself?”  
  
“I don’t think with my job I can actually relax much but…”  
  
“I’m not talking about your job, idiot. I’m saying, maybe you need to stop thinking that there’s so many expectations you have to live up to. No one, not even your parents, has ever said that they expected you to do this or that. It’s always been in your head.” Jin pointed out. “And you feel the need to live up to those ‘expected expectations’ to be the perfect son or something.”  
  
“Some things don’t have to be said. You just know that certain expectations come with the role.”  
  
“Whatever.” Jin waved dismissively. “It’s time to think of yourself. What do you want? Who do you want?”  
  
“You.”  
  
“Huh? You want me? As your slave or something?”  
  
“No.” Yuichi half-smiled. Because Yuichi realised that he was being selfish and thinking of himself, that he didn’t want to tell Jin the truth about his feelings after all. He wanted to keep Jin’s friendship. It’s because he’s doing what Jin’s telling him to do, to think of himself, that he has to lie to Jin. “I want you to pay for lunch.”  
  
“Che. I was already going to put this on my company tab, anyway.”  
  
“Then you should treat me another time."  
  
“Forget it.”  
  
“Hey, you asked me what I wanted.”  
  
“Don’t be a spoilt brat. Just because you want something it doesn’t mean you’re always going to get it.”  
  
Yuichi laughed. “This coming from the biggest spoilt brat in the world.”  
  
“Shut up! You’re the one who spoils me!”

* * * * *

“Shachou-san, there’s a guest for you. He’s waiting in the guest lounge.” Yuichi’s secretary informed him as he returned from lunch.  
  
Yuichi furrowed his eyebrows as he tried to recall having any meetings in the afternoon. “Did he make an appointment?”  
  
“Ah, no.” His secretary seemed to blush, which surprised him a bit since she was usually so serious. “But he insisted, so… I’m so sorry, but I checked that your schedule was free in the afternoon and he said that he wouldn’t take too much of your time.”  
  
“It’s okay. Don’t worry.” Yuichi nodded, heading towards the guest lounge. He wondered who this guest was. When he stepped into the lounge though, he didn’t see anyone. “Eh?”  
  
A pair of hands reached from behind him and covered his eyes before he could react. Kidnap?! That was Yuichi’s first thought until a familiar scent filled his senses. He could feel hot air blowing next to his right ear, and he tried not to squirm.  
  
“Guess who?” A voice whispered seductively into his ear.  
  
Shit, Ueda had lied. So much for sleeping with Kame to get the other out of his system. Granted he didn’t actually have sex with Kame per se, what with him having a bad headache leading him to an awkward call for a chaffeur to get home. Still, wasn’t Ueda’s advice supposed to improve things, and not make him more horny?!  
  
Breathe. Just. Breathe.  
  
Yuichi heard a laughter behind him. “Should I take this as a sign that you like to be blindfolded?”  
  
“What?!” Yuichi almost screamed, jumping away from Kame before slapping a hand to his mouth. He hoped his secretary had not heard and come to investigate.  
  
“Just kidding.” Kame smiled. “It’s just that you didn’t answer me so it would appear like you enjoyed having my hands cover your eyes and being temporarily blind.”  
  
“I was thinking.” Yuichi retorted. “You know, thinking of how I could contact the police for arresting you on charges of trespassing.”  
  
“Oh, so you would like to see me in handcuffs? Kinky.” Kame teased.  
  
“I didn’t say that!” Yuichi spluttered. “Don’t put words into my mouth. Anyway, what are you doing here and how did you manage to convince my secretary to let you in?”  
  
“With my charms, of course.”  
  
Yuichi rolled his eyes. Of course. Kame and his pheromones. Yuichi suddenly remembered something. “Ah, so that’s how you managed to get the cake delivered directly to my desk as well. Che, what’s security doing? What if it had been poison?”  
  
“Don’t be so paranoid.” Kame grinned. “I guess it helped that I gave them discount vouchers to BUN-NI-Sweets!”  
  
“Bribery huh.”  
  
“Would it work on you?”  
  
“Of course not.”  
  
“You do owe me one though.”  
  
“Wha-” Yuichi stopped short when he realised what Kame was referring to. He stepped backwards, eyeing Kame suspiciously. “You’re not expecting me to return the favour right here, right now, are you?”  
  
“I wouldn’t mind.” Kame replied.  
  
Seeing the twinkle in Kame’s eyes, Yuichi assumed that Kame was only teasing him, like always. “I’m going to assume you’re just making fun of me again- What’s with that smug look on your face?”  
  
“I was just recalling that I did say that you’re going to fall in love with me, and I was right.”  
  
“What nonsense are you talking about? I’m not in love with you.” Yuichi said, not sure where Kame had gotten the idea from. It wasn’t like the other didn’t know about his feelings for Jin. “Okay, I’ll admit, I’m attracted to you, but it’s a physical attraction.”  
  
He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but Yuichi thought he saw a flicker of sadness on Kame’s face. It was only for a split second though, so he wasn’t sure, as Kame now wore a thoughtful expression.  
  
“So basically, you’re saying that you wanna fuck me, no strings attached?”  
  
“You’re so eloquent, Kamenashi.” Yuichi retorted, not really agreeing with Kame, nor disagreeing with the other. He was ashamed to admit that it was kind of true. But he remembered Ueda telling him that he needed to get it out of his system. And didn’t Jin just tell him to ‘relax’? Maybe, — and although this usually went against his beliefs and morals — maybe what he needed right now was a physical relationship with Kame to get all this stress out.  
  
“I wouldn’t mind.” Kame repeated himself.  
  
Yuichi blinked.  
  
“I’m not surprised that you find me physically attractive, because most people do, and obviously most of them want to sleep with me as well.” Kame began, an arrogant tone to his voice. “It’s usually a one-way thing though, and I wouldn’t want to sleep with the majority of them. So you should feel honoured that I’m willing to be your fuck buddy.” Yuichi flinched at Kame’s choice of words. “Well, I guess I should be equally flattered that you trust me enough not to blackmail you.”  
  
Yuichi frowned. “The thought didn’t actually cross my mind…”  
  
“Is that so? I would have thought you would be more aware given your status.” Kame pointed out, as he closed the gap between the two, but stopping just slightly away, lips a few inches away from Yuichi’s but only hovering.  
  
“You don’t seem like that type.” Yuichi said, Kame’s close proximity distracting him once more. Not realising it at first, Yuichi’s head lean forward, about to capture Kame’s lips, when Kame suddenly pulled away and took a step back.  
  
“So, where should we meet tonight?”

* * * * *


	5. Chapter 5

“You’re kidding me right?”  
  
“Hm?” Yuichi looked at Kame, confused, as he locked the door behind him. “About?”  
  
“You live here?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“I’m jealous. You have a freaking fantastic view of Tokyo Tower from your house. I should have brought my camera.” Kame said as he stood at the glass window, appreciating the view before him. “I actually expected you to live in some huge mansion surrounded by acres of land while the rest of Japan has to live with the little space we have.”  
  
“You aren’t exactly far off.” Yuichi smiled wryly to himself, glad that Kame couldn’t see his expression. The penthouse was a last minute arrangement, knowing that bringing Kame home to where he really lived was out of the question. Over here, at least there was no one around to interrupt them. “I guess you could say that my family house is like that.”  
  
Kame turned around and leaned against the window. “You moved out so that it would be easier for you to bring girls home for sex.”  
  
“No. I don’t do that.”  
  
“Of course. You’ll only bring hot guys like me home for sex.” Kame grinned.  
  
“Did you move out of your own home so that you could bring hot guys back to the apartment for sex?” Yuichi shot back, annoyed.  
  
“You look nice in a suit.” Kame suddenly changed the subject.  
  
“Eh?” Yuichi blinked in surprise. He took it as a sign that Kame didn’t want to talk about his personal issues, and decided not to press further. “Ah, well, thanks.”  
  
“Especially the tie.” Kame continued, walking slowly towards Yuichi with purposeful steps, before stopping about a metre away. Suddenly, he reached out to grab Yuichi’s tie and pull the other towards him until their faces almost touched. Yuichi could smell Kame’s scent, and was waiting in anticipation for Kame’s next move. “I really like the tie. It lets me lead you along.”  
  
“And where are you going to lead me to?”  
  
“Where do you want me to lead you to?” Kame tilted his head slightly, his breath on Yuichi’s lips. It provided the perfect angle for Yuichi to capture his lips, and the other gladly accepted the invitation.  
  
This time, Kame wasn’t so compliant, battling with Yuichi for control. Not that Yuichi really minded, since deep down he was kind of nervous about what was going to happen, his lack of experience making him worry that things would turn out to be extremely awkward. Right now, things were going well, and Yuichi wasn’t about to change it just for the sake of being the one leading.  
  
And besides, who cares as long as they were kissing? Yuchi decided that he really liked kissing Kame. It was even better than all the strawberry shortcakes he could eat, and he could really get used to this.

* * * * *

He could definitely get used to this.  
  
That was Yuichi’s first thought as he watched Kame making himself busy in the kitchen, with only a t-shirt on, Kame’s perfect ass in view. The only reason why Kame wasn’t naked while making breakfast was because he wanted to make sure the hot oil didn’t splash onto his skin and there was no apron around. Yuichi kept in mind to get Kame an apron.  
  
For a moment, Yuichi felt like he was watching his wife making him breakfast, but immediately killed that thought in his head because firstly, Kame wasn’t a girl, and secondly, even if Kame was a girl, this was supposed to be purely a physical affair and not an emotional one.  
  
“Breakfast is served.” Kame announced as he laid the food on the table and settled into the seat opposite.  
  
“That’s it?”  
  
Kame glared at Yuichi. “Well, I’m sorry. I forgot that rich kids like you practically have a buffet for breakfast.”  
  
Yuichi just chuckled. “I’m just kidding. And I hardly get to eat a proper breakfast anyway, usually just grabbing a quick bite before work. Thank you for this.”  
  
“Treat this as a ‘Congratulations! You’ve moved up to level 2′ kind of breakfast.”  
  
“Level 2?”  
  
“Yep. Previously you were only level 0.5 but you’ve improved quite a lot from the last time.” Kame teased.  
  
“May I know how many levels there are?”  
  
“A hundred.”  
  
“I don’t think I’m  _that_  bad!”  
  
Kame laughed. “Fine, there’s only ten levels. Hopefully you’ll hit at least a 5 the next time.”  
  
“And when would the next time be?” Yuichi asked.  
  
Kame shrugged. “When either of us feels like it.”

* * * * *

Yuichi wasn’t really expecting a pink cake box when his secretary had informed him that he had a delivery. Immediately knowing the identity of the sender, Yuichi quickly took the box from her, and sent her on her way, but not before offering her one slice of strawberry shortcake. Kame had gotten him a full cake this time after all.

Opening the envelope that came with the box, Yuichi was met, once again, with a picture of ‘BUN-NI-Sweets!’ mascot. The rabbit had his arms crossed, trying to look angry, although the huge smile plastered on its face ruined it. Yuichi smiled as he read the message that came with it.

 _Usagi-san was angry today because of some rude customers. (Not me, of course.) He cheered up when I showed him a picture of you gobbling up a cake, and decided to give me a huge discount if I bought a whole cake for you (and take more pictures). So don’t start eating until tonight, when I can take the pictures to show Usagi-san. Don’t worry, you’ll get your reward. ^_^_  
  
It seemed like Kame had assumed Yuichi was definitely going to meet him tonight, seeing how it wasn’t even a question. Yuichi didn’t know whether to be amused or bemused by Kame’s confidence. Then again, they had been meeting every night for the past week so it almost seemed like a given.  
  
His thoughts were interrupted by his mobile phone ringing.  
  
“I’m going to finish the whole cake before I leave the office.” Yuichi said as he picked up the call. “I’ve even given one to my secretary.”  
  
“Doesn’t matter. I’m bringing my camera along tonight anyway.” Kame replied.  
  
“What for?”  
  
“To take incriminating pictures of you. The cake’s not cheap y’know. I need to make some of that money back.”  
  
“Thought you said Usagi-san gave you a discount.”  
  
“Discount only applies if I give him the pictures.”  
  
Yuichi laughed. “Fine, fine. Oh, sorry, I got another call coming in. See you tonight?”  
  
“Yeah, see you.”

Switching to the other incoming call, Yuichi noticed the caller id and sighed. It was Maki, and he hoped that she wouldn’t be able to see through his lie.

* * * * *

“What’s this?” Kame stared at the white card in Yuichi’s outstretched hand.  
  
“It’s the extra key card to the apartment.”  
  
Kame tilted his head, a smirk on his face. “You’re giving me access to your house?”  
  
Yuichi shrugged, trying to be nonchalant about the situation. “Wouldn’t want you waiting outside for hours on those nights when I can’t be back early.”  
  
“Does she have a key card too?”

“…No.”  
  
Taking the card from Yuichi’s hand, Kame grinned. “Good. That’s all I want to know.”

* * * * *

‘Are you ever going to reach level ten?’ Came the message on his mobile phone.  
  
‘Am already there. You just won’t admit it.’ Yuichi typed back. ‘Anyway, not tonight. Soccer match. Final.’  
  
‘You’ll regret it.’ Came the reply. Yuichi laughed.  
  
Yuichi had timed that after a quick shower and some pizza delivery — something he tried for the first time the other day when Kame was hungry and too tired to cook — he’d still be able to catch the soccer final as long as he got out of office by eight-thirty. When he reached the apartment, however, he was greeted by the sight of Kame’s boots and the sound of a baseball match coming from the living room.  
  
“Please tell me this is not live and I would still be able to catch the game.” Yuichi remarked as he dumped his bag on the table and started taking off his jacket. Kame just ignored him. Shaking his head, Yuichi headed to make an order for pizza delivery, and then to the shower, deciding that he would fight with Kame over the television remote after that.  
  
“I was watching that!” Kame complained, trying to grab the remote from Yuichi who, unfortunately for Kame, had a slight height advantage.  
  
“It wasn’t even a live game. And you know that I have a soccer match to watch.”  
  
Kame threw both arms around Yuichi’s neck after failing to reach the remote despite several jumps, deciding to go for a different tactic by kissing the other to distract the other’s attention. He thought that his plan was going smoothly, as he felt Yuichi’s arms circling around his ass before carrying him off the ground. Kame’s legs instinctively wrapped around Yuichi’s waist, allowing himself to be carried. However, instead of bringing them to the bedroom, Yuichi carried Kame to the sofa, dumping Kame onto it before pulling away. Kame whined at the lost of contact.  
  
“Pizza’s here!” Yuichi announced as he shoved the remote into his sweat pants and headed to the door.  
  
When Yuichi returned with a pizza box in hand and had placed it on the living room table, he turned to see Kame balled up on the couch, pouting.  
  
“Pizza?” Yuichi offered.  
  
“I can’t believe you’ll pick that over me.”  
  
“As delicious as you are, you’re not real food and I’ll starve to death if I don’t eat this.” Yuichi replied as he bit a huge chunk out of the slice of pizza.  
  
Kame gave up fighting for the remote, choosing later to lie his head onto Yuichi’s lap as the other settled down to watch the game. At first, he thought of trying to distract the other by doing suggestive things but soon found himself falling asleep, Yuichi’s fingers going through his hair the last thing he remembered.

* * * * *

Kame twiddled with his mobile phone, as he waited for his brother to arrive at the cafe. His brother had called him earlier to say that he would be a bit late, but Kame didn’t really mind since he wasn’t due for his part time job until later that day. Rather, he was waiting for something else — a call or a message, from Yuichi.  
  
After their ‘agreement’ to have a secret affair (Kame wasn’t sure what else he should refer it to), it was Kame who was always the one to initiate their meetings. Most times, Yuichi would agree, though they often had to meet rather late due to Yuichi’s busy schedule.  
  
Normally, Kame wouldn’t care. He’d slept with people he also knew little about, and they would always part their ways like strangers. Somehow though, Yuichi was an exception, his apparent lack of interest making Kame a little upset.  
  
For once, Kame wished that Yuichi would be the one to initiate things, to be the one to call or message him to meet up.  
  
“Hey, sorry I’m late.”  
  
Kame’s thoughts were broken by his brother’s voice. He looked up from his mobile phone, shaking his head, a small grin on his face. “It’s okay, Koji. Doctors are always busy.”  
  
“Kazuya, are you okay? You look tired.” Koji asked, before being sidetracked by the waiter. He quickly ordered his coffee, before turning back to his younger brother. “You look like you’re bothered by something.”  
  
Kame shook his head. “It’s nothing, don’t worry. So what’s up? You’re usually so busy. To ask me out in the middle of the day, there must be something urgent you wanted to tell me?”  
  
“Well, I was wondering if you were free this weekend.”  
  
“Why? Did you get free tickets to a baseball game?” Kame joked.  
  
“Nah, sadly it’s been a while since I even watched one.” Koji made a face, before returning to the subject. “Actually, I wanted to ask if you could come for lunch with the family, and well, my fiancée’s family.”  
  
“Fiancée? Congratulations!” Kame smiled brightly. “Who’s the lucky girl?”  
  
“Thanks! That’s why I’m inviting you to lunch so that you can meet her.”  
  
“Is dad going to be there?”  
  
“…Yes, he is. He has to be there, of course.”  
  
“Really? Isn’t the work at the hospital more important? He’s hardly at home even when we were kids, what makes you think he’ll be able to take time out from his very important job to meet the future in-laws?”  
  
“Kazuya…”  
  
“I’m not going. I don’t want to see his face and he doesn’t want to see mine either.”  
  
“C’mon, please come. For me? For your brothers and for your mum? We all miss you, y’know.” Koji said. “Dad included.”  
  
“Why? Cos he’s short of doctors at the hospital and needs me to help out? Sorry, I do lots of different part-time jobs but being a part-time doctor isn’t going to be one of them.”  
  
Koji sighed. “Kazuya, are you really happy with your life right now?”  
  
“Why do you ask?”  
  
“It’s just that… Well, you quit because you said that you didn’t have the passion to be in the medical field, which I understand because obviously it doesn’t mean our whole family would all want to be doctors just because our dad is one and happens to run a hospital. But — and you’re going to hate me for saying this — it’s not like you even know what you want to do in life. Right now, you’re just floating about, doing odd jobs. You don’t even have a steady income and you’re living off your best friend-”  
  
“You’re right. My life is crap right now. I like photography but I’m never going to be good enough to be a professional. I’ve been a tutor, a model, a waiter, a cashier, a freaking mascot, blah blah blah. But that’s just even more reason why I can’t go back, Koji.”  
  
“Pride?”  
  
“Yes, pride. And the fact that I’m not giving up.” Kame said firmly. “Don’t worry about me, Koji. I know that right now it looks like I have no sense of direction. But I’ll find something. I’m not going back until I prove to him that I can achieve something on my own.”  
  
Koji looked Kame in the eyes, and saw that his younger brother was determined not to budge. “Well, I already expected you to say ‘no’. You’ve always been kind of stubborn. But I’ll message you the details about the location and time, cos I really hope that you’ll come anyway.”  
  
“Sorry, Koji.”  
  
“You’re not allowed to skip the wedding though.”  
  
“I can’t?” Kame pouted, though he was only kidding.  
  
“Of course not. You can take photos of me and my lovely wife-to-be.”  
  
“Tell me, did you do something cheesy like book a whole restaurant on the pretense of throwing her a surprise birthday party, but proposed to her even before the party started?”  
  
“No, I actually proposed to her when we were on a Ferris wheel.” Koji replied sheepishly. “Is that bad?”

“Nope, that’s nice actually.” Kame smiled. “Keep things simple. Though if she rejected you then the rest of the ride would have been awkward. Oh but maybe that’s why she said ‘yes’. Since you trapped her there and she didn’t want to make things awkward.”  
  
“Hey! You little smart-mouthed brat!”  
  
Kame laughed. He received an alert right then that he had gotten a message. Excusing himself, he quickly checked it, hoping it was Yuichi, but it was from Atsuto instead. Trying not to frown so that his brother wouldn’t suspect anything, Kame decided to reply later. Instead, he typed a quick message to Yuichi, before turning his attention back to his brother.  
  
“So, I still have some time to spare. Why don’t you tell me all about this wonderful fiancée of yours?”

* * * * *

Two knocks and the door swung opened before Yuichi could even say anything, as Ryo sauntered in, a few files in hand. He pulled a seat out and settled into it, placing the files onto Yuichi’s desk, before crossing his arms and resting them on top of the files.  
  
“Please tell me why the President felt the need to occupy the penthouse in one of our top serviced apartment blocks and didn’t see any reason to inform his chief of operations?”  
  
“Ah.” Yuichi said.  
  
“Don’t ‘ah’ me.” Ryo chided, tapping his foot impatiently. “So?”  
  
“Sorry Nishikido, I’ve been so busy that I forgot to let you know.” Yuichi explained. “But well, you know it now. It shouldn’t be a problem anyway, right?”  
  
“Oh, of course it’s not a problem. It’s just a couple hundred thousands of monthly rent we’re forgoing, that’s all. Nothing to worry about.”  
  
“I could pay the rent, but the money goes back to me anyway.”  
  
“True, but I’m pretty sure Ueda would tell you that the bottom line won’t be as pretty as it could be.” Ryo said. “Anyway, that’s not what I’m concerned about. Rather, why in the world did you move? Aren’t you the one who loves to stay with his family and be monitored by his parents, twenty-four-seven?”  
  
“Firstly, I don’t get monitored by my parents. How old do you think I am?” Yuichi rolled his eyes. “Secondly, I moved because it’s nearer to the office, so less travelling time. With the amount of work I have lately, I rather not travel so much. I even got to take the metro once.”  
  
Ryo’s eyes widened. “Did you just tell me that you took public transport?”  
  
“Er, yes?”  
  
Ryo made a face at Yuichi’s confession. “That’s so… normal.”  
  
“You should try taking it once.”  
  
“No, thanks. I like my car very much.”  
  
“It’s called experiencing life of the normal citizen. It can help us understand the average person better and we might even be able to find new business opportunities.”  
  
“It all sounds very nice in theory, but that’s why I think you’re hiding something.”  
  
“When did you become Kindaichi?”  
  
“I’ve always been this observant and intelligent. Of course, it helps that after all these years, you’re pretty easy to read.”  
  
Yuichi silently cursed to himself. Sometimes, he forgot that although Ryo was closer to Jin, the four of them including Ueda did attend the same school since secondary school — although with Jin, it was even further back — and so it could be said that they all knew each other pretty well.  
  
Only Ueda knew about his ‘secret’. Yuichi had moved into the apartment solely because of his… rendezvous with Kame, and not even Kame knew about it. Yuichi made it seemed like he had lived there all the time, while giving his family, and now Ryo, the excuse that he was moving temporarily because of work commitments. He didn’t even want to let Jin know about it, knowing that his best friend would only be curious and do the most extreme things just to find out why.  
  
For now, he’d have to deal with Ryo.  
  
“You’re thinking too much. Like I said, I’ve been busy, so I thought it was more convenient. It’s only temporary, so don’t worry about it, you’ll get back the apartment eventually.” Yuichi maintained his story, hoping that Ryo, for once, wouldn't question further.  
  
His mobile phone rang just then, saving him from Ryo’s interrogation, albeit only for a short while. Yuichi looked at the caller ID, frowning a little when he saw that it was his mum calling.  
  
“Moshi moshi. Okaasan? What’s wrong?” Yuichi ignored Ryo’s snicker, knowing that the other was itching to make a sarcastic comment.  
  
 _“Nothing’s wrong, other than the fact that we missed you at home of course. Have you been eating properly? I hope you’re not skipping your meals just because you’re busy at work.”_  
  
“Of course not. Don’t worry.” Yuichi replied. “I’m sorry I haven’t had the time to go back. I’ll try to make it back this weekend for either lunch or dinner.”  
  
 _“Lunch would be preferable. In fact, it would be a proper family lunch outside. It’s been a while after all. Everything’s been planned so you just need to dress up, turn up, and enjoy the meal.”_  
  
“Oh, okay, sure. Just let me know where and when.”  
  
 _“Alright then, I won’t disturb you further. Just promise me you’ll come, and have proper meals daily.”_  
  
“Yes, mum. Don’t worry.”  
  
When the call ended, Yuichi braced himself for Ryo’s laughter. The other merely grinned at him widely.  
  
“See, twenty-four-seven.”  
  
“That phone call was less than five minutes.”  
  
“It doesn’t mean that there isn’t somebody stalking you without you noticing.”  
  
Yuichi frowned, disturbed by that thought. “I’d rather hope not.”  
  
“Anyway, back to the main topic of discuss-”  
  
Yuichi’s mobile phone rang again, causing Ryo to groan in frustration at the interruption again. Yuichi just chuckled, before picking up the call.  
  
It was Maki. Another person he had been lying to. He had turned her down on a few occasions so far — it wasn’t many, since she, too, had a busy schedule — with the excuse of work when in truth he was just meeting Kame. Conversations with Jin and Ueda about her made him realised that he didn’t want a future with her, no matter how many ticks she had on his ‘checklist’. He felt it was too risky to break up with her now though, especially if he didn’t want anyone to find out about his relationship with Kame. Yuichi had to admit that he was pretty much using her as a ‘cover’.  
  
But even so, he did have to occasionally live up to the role of the boyfriend. With that thought, he agreed to meet her for dinner tonight. It was only after he ended the call that he realised there was an unread message.  
  
A message from Kame.

With Ryo sitting in front of his desk, Yuichi closed his mobile phone, deciding to read it later.  
  
“Yes, you were saying…?” Yuichi turned his attention back to Ryo.  
  
“Ran out of excuses not to meet the girlfriend?” Ryo asked.  
  
Yuichi rolled his eyes. “Why do you and Ueda always refer to Maki in that way?”  
  
“What am I supposed to call her then? The bitch?”  
  
It was a good thing that Yuichi was used to Ryo’s straightforwardness. “She’s really not  _that_  bad.”  
  
“Says the guy who looks so reluctant to meet her for dinner tonight.” Ryo retorted. “Anyway, just spit it out. I know you’re hiding something. There’s a secret agenda to your temporary occupancy of the penthouse. Ueda seems to know it, but obviously that guy refuses to tell me. C’mon, don’t you trust me?”  
  
“Don’t you trust me?” Yuichi shot back, before reaching out and pulling the files Ryo had brought in from under Ryo’s arms. “What’s this anyway?”  
  
“Research that my team did. In case you’ve forgotten, in the last meeting, you mentioned that you wanted more research to be done into the healthcare industry and its potential partners we could work with, before making any decisions.”  
  
“I’m not that forgetful.”  
  
“Can’t be too sure, what with your old age.”  
  
“Hey! I’m only one year older than you and Jin, and one month older than Ueda.”  
  
“Really? I always thought you were in your 60s already.”  
  
“Tsk. What a way to talk to your boss.”  
  
Ryo just grinned, before getting up from the seat. “Anyway, it’s obvious you’re not gonna tell me anything today, so I’ll badger you about it another time. Have fun reading the files!” He waved dismissively, before turning to leave.  
  
When the door closed, Yuichi quickly picked up his phone. Kame wanted to meet tonight, but Yuichi knew it was not possible, what with dinner with Maki. Sighing, he typed a quick response.  
  
 _Sorry, I have to meet Maki tonight. Maybe next time._

* * * * *


	6. Chapter 6

"Kame, if you drink anymore and end up puking on my carpet, I'm making you pay for the cleaning."  
  
Kame merely nodded at Atsuto's warning, before taking another gulp from his beer can. It was his sixth.  
  
"You know, I've never seen you this upset over anybody before." Atsuto commented, as he tried to grab the can from Kame's hold but to no avail. "You really like him, huh?"  
  
"I don't know." Kame shrugged. "I don't know if it's because I like him that I am upset, or if it's because I'm just tired of how everyone's only interested in physical appearances and nothing about me…."  
  
"It's not like it’s the first time." Atsuto pointed out. "So why get so upset?"  
  
"I know... Like why bother, right? That's what I used to think too..." Kame sighed. "But this guy... How pathetic I am, right now, huh? Thinking this time it’s different. Getting upset over being stood up by him."  
  
"You know what I think?" Atsuto said. "That guy has a girlfriend but still chose to sleep with you. That makes him not a nice person. You can find someone better."  
  
Kame laughed. "Are you talking about yourself?"  
  
Atsuto made a face. "I know it's fun pretending to be a couple occasionally to chase away some of those so-called admirers but please, no way."  
  
"Tsk, you don't know what you're missing." Kame joked, as he threw his now empty beer can into the bin. Looking around Atsuto's apartment, Kame couldn't help but feel a little envious. Although it wasn't big, but at least his kouhai had a place of his own. While he was free-loading his best female friend, which he knew wasn’t easy for Erika. Thinking back to his earlier conversation with his brother, he really wasn't getting anywhere at the moment.  
  
"Ne, Atsuto..."  
  
"What?" Atsuto eyed Kame suspiciously, hearing the tone of Kame's voice.  
  
"I'm moving in."  
  
"You're not even asking, are you?" Atsuto rolled his eyes, used to his senpai's willfulness.  
  
"Nope." Kame shook his head. "I'll move out of Erika's tomorrow, so you'll need to help me move the things in."  
  
"Did it ever occur to you that I might be busy with work?"  
  
"Then during the weekend."  
  
"I work during weekends. And even if I don't, I might have something on."  
  
"Please, you only have me as your friend."  
  
"Oi!" Atsuto whacked Kame on the head.  
  
Kame grabbed his head melodramatically, pouting. "That was painful, Atsuto-kun! How could you do this to your beloved senpai? Don't you know that I want to move in so that I can spend more time with you?"  
  
Atsuto rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, I always knew that senpai had a crush on me. Your brooding over the other guy is just your way of trying to make me jealous right?"  
  
Kame nodded eagerly, though there was a mischievous grin on his lips.  
  
"Well, sorry, it didn't work. I'm not interested."  
  
Kame put a hand to his heart. "You're a heartbreaker!" Then he laughed. "So anyway, are you going to help me move in or not?"  
  
"Am I even allowed to say ‘no’? You seemed to have made the decision for me already."  
  
"Of course. That's what senpai is here for."

* * * * *

Yuichi looked at his mobile screen, willing it to ring, or alert him of a text message – the kind he was so used to receiving over the past weeks from Kame that he didn’t realize how easily he had come to expect them.

The last time he heard from Kame was the day Yuichi had dinner with Maki. That was almost a week ago.

Previously, even if they had not been able to meet every night due to Yuichi’s work commitments, they were pretty much still in contact almost every other day via calls or text.

It was the first time that there was such a lapse in any form of contact from Kame that Yuichi couldn’t help but feel a kind of… void.

The first few days he didn’t receive any text or calls from Kame, Yuichi thought it odd, but put it down to maybe the other being busy with a new job or something. Maybe the other had gone off to work for his friend at the onsen again.

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t at least call him.

Yuichi brushed the idea out of his mind. What was he thinking? It wasn’t like they were in a relationship or anything. Kame didn’t have to report to him his whereabouts.

_"No strings attached."_

_"When either of us feels like it."_

Yuichi’s fingers slid over his mobile keys hesitantly before slipping his mobile phone back into his pocket.  


* * * * *

"Kamenashi?" Yuichi blinked.

Lunch with his family turned out to be lunch with his future in-laws as well. No, not Maki's family, but his sister's fiance's family. A family whose last name was 'Kamenashi'. Was it just a coincidence?

After all the pleasantries, they settled down into their seats as lunch was served, Yuichi still feeling a little confused.

"Kamenashi-san, I've always thought that you had four sons. Was I mistaken?" Yuichi's father suddenly asked, piquing Yuichi's interest. Across the table there were only three sons, could the fourth one be the Kame he knew?

"Ah, sorry about that. My other son is overseas so he couldn't be here today."

"I see, I see."

So. Overseas. Then maybe it wasn't Kame. But as Yuichi looked at the family sitting across from him, he couldn't help but feel that this was Kame's family.

"Kazuya will be here for the wedding though." Koji, the one who was going to marry his sister, added. "He apologises for not being able to make it today."

_Kazuya... It had to be!_

But if that was the case, why wasn't Kame working as a doctor instead of doing odd jobs here and there? Especially considering that his family owned the KMNS Healthcare Group, which Yuichi remembered seeing the name in one of the files Ryo had passed to him. Why was Kame staying with Erika? Why did his father lie about him being overseas?

So many questions, but no answers. Yuichi realised that he really knew nothing about Kamenashi Kazuya, the guy who crashed into his life and turned it upside down. The guy who hadn't contacted him since that day when Yuichi went out for dinner with Maki.

And right now, all Yuichi wanted to do was leave this boring lunch and find Kame, to find out more about the other, to see the other, to hear the other, to touch the other.

_Who are you, Kamenashi Kazuya?_  


* * * * *

27 missed calls.

_From Jin?_

Yuichi had just come out from an entire morning of conference calls with the branch subsidiary heads and settled behind his desk when he noticed the missed calls on his mobile. He peered curiously, wondering why in the world Jin had called him that many times.

"I know."

Yuichi looked up at the interruption. "What?"

"I know your secret agenda --- what you've been using the penthouse for." Ryo announced with a cheeky grin, as he settled in the chair opposite Yuichi's desk.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh don't bother with the wishy-washy excuses." Ryo waved dismissively and gestured at Ueda as the other swept breezily into the room. "He's already told me about your misuse of company property for your sexual-"

"Ueda!" Yuichi turned and glared at the other. "I thought you two hated each other ninety-nine percent of the time!"

"What?" Ueda looked at Yuichi innocently. "I was with Ryo, one thing led to another, and I accidentally let out the secret. It's no big deal really."

"Please tell me that you're not implying that there's something going on between the two of you."

Ueda shrugged. Ryo just looked at Yuichi smugly. Yuichi suspected that the two of them were just making fun of him and messing with his mind.

"Oh, I forgot to mention earlier." Ryo suddenly said. "I've told Jin."

"WHAT?!" Yuichi couldn't help but screech in panic, which he knew made him look uncool but it wasn't like his friends hadn't seen this side of him anyway. It was a good thing that his secretary had gone off for lunch or she might have been wondering what the hell was going on in her boss's office.

"How could you do this to me?!" A voice that was not Yuichi's demanded as the door swung open once again and slammed shut, announcing the arrival of his best friend.

"Jin, I-"

"How could you?" Jin bulldozed on without listening. "How could you tell someone like Ryo first? I should totally be the first person to know this!"

Ryo rolled his eyes. "Just like Akanishi to totally make the main point all about himself."

"Jin, I didn't tell Ryo. Ueda-"

"No, you told Ueda who told Ryo. I'm not even the 2nd person to know!" Jin continued haughtily. "Kamenashi?"

"I'm sorry Jin, but-"

"I don't care if you like guys or girls, Yuichi. But Kamenashi? As my best friend, I thought my good taste would have rubbed off after all these years."

Yuichi didn't know whether to feel relieved or bemused at the irony of what Jin was saying. On one hand he was relieved that Jin was totally accepting. On the other hand, insulting his taste in people...

"Why? Is that guy really ugly or something?" Ryo quipped, turning to Ueda.

"A bit on the girly side." Ueda replied.

"Oh, you mean kinda like you?" Ryo asked, immediately moving away as fast as possible before Ueda could hit him.

"Stop fighting, you two! The important thing right now is Yuichi's betrayal!"

"Stop overreacting." Both Ryo and Ueda retorted simultaneously.

"Hey, out of curiosity, is this guy also related to the Kamenashi family who owns the KMNS Healthcare Group?" Ryo asked Yuichi.

"I was wondering about that and was going to ask you about it."

"Well, I wouldn't know. My team only did research on the company not on the family."

"Wow, Yuichi. You really suck as a boyfriend." Jin interrupted. "Of course he's part of that family. Even I know that."

"You do?" Yuichi turned to Jin in surprise. Come to think of it, Jin did know Kame for a longer time than he did after all. He was going to ask Jin more about Kame's background but his best friend just continued.

"Anyway, where's your boyfriend? I've been trying to contact him. Erika just told me that he moved out but she refused to tell me where. Oh shit, don't tell me she knows about you two as well? Damnit! Am I the last person to know? He's moved into that penthouse to stay with you right?! That's why she refused to tell me where he's gone to! I can't believe this!"

"I'm getting a headache from all this Akanishi melodrama." Ueda rubbed his temple as he started to leave the room. "You know where to find me if you need me."

"You're so lame, Ueda." Ryo shouted out but was ignored anyway. Ryo, on the contrary, was enjoying every bit of Jin's overreaction to the situation. "Why are you looking for this Kamenashi guy, anyway, Jin? Trying to tell him to stay away from _your_ Yuichi?"

"Nah, honestly, I rather him than that Maki woman."

Yuichi tried not to make an exasperated sigh at hearing them talk about Maki in that way again. He hadn't even broken up with her but his friends all seemed to assume that he had done so or was planning to do so.

"Back to what I was saying. Yuichi, where's Kamenashi? I want to offer him a job as a chef at my new restaurant. As I told you, Erika refused to tell me where he is, and he seems to have changed his number so I can't even contact him." Jin grumbled, before stretching out his hand. "Gimme your keys if he's at your house at the moment."

"He's not staying with me." Yuichi replied. "I don't even know where he is. He hasn't contacted me for about two weeks now."

"What?" This time, both Jin and Ryo turned to stare at Yuichi, somewhat aghast.

"Look guys, I don't know what Ueda said, but I'm not dating Kamenashi. And he's usually the one who contacts me and he hasn't done so in a while so I've no idea where he is."

Jin frowned. "So you're just sleeping with him."

Yuichi sighed. "Yes. And before you try to lecture me, it was Ueda-"

"Please, as if Akanishi Jin here has any right to lecture you." Ryo remarked.

"Shut up, Ryo." Jin shot back, before turning back to Yuichi with a serious face. "Anyway, whatever it is that's going on between the two of you, I'm not going to interfere. But fix whatever the problem is right now, because he's obviously trying to avoid you, and I really want to hire him as a chef. So next time you see him, let him know my offer and tell him to get back to me as soon as possible."

Jin left before Yuichi could put up any further defence. He could sense Jin’s disapproval, which was probably why he kept it from him in the first place. He really needed to fix this somehow.  


* * * * *

"Okaa-san, Okaa-san! I waaaaant thaaaaaaa~!"

What felt like a cannonball barreled into the back of Kame, causing him to lose balance on his padded rabbit-suit feet.

As he stumbled forward, trying not to fall backwards on what was probably a kid – a heavy one - that cannonballed and clung to the back of his furry suit, Kame felt the rabbit suit head loosen and fall forwards.

"AAAAAAAH! Usagi-san lost his head!!! AAAAH! Okaa-san!"

Kame brushed his hair, half sighing as he picked up his lost head and stuck it back on, trying to salvage the situation with the screaming child.

"No, no, look, Tomoaki. It’s ok, Usagi-san is fine. Look."

Kame tilted his (Usagi-san) head, and waved his paws, glad that the kid seemed to have quieten down as his mother ushered him off.

Oh well, all in a day’s work. Just as well, as he should be knocking off now. As Kame turned around to head into the dressing room, he stopped short at the sight of Yuichi in front of him, looking his way.

Shit! Did he see that? Kame shuffled his padded feet, hesitating. Why was he looking this way? No wait, that guy’s just probably here for the cake, and remembered the rabbit mascot from the photos.

Shaking off his discomfort, Kame tried to straighten his shoulders and walk nonchalantly by Yuichi.

"Wait." A hand reached out to hold him back.

"Can we talk?" Yuichi looked directly at him (well at his rabbit head anyway). "I need to talk to you... Kame."

Kame paused, and shrugged, before strutting off as coolly as he could, without a word into the staff restricted area to change.  


* * * * *

"Jin wants me to let you know that he wants to offer you a job as a chef at his new restaurant."

Kame stuck his tongue against the inside of his cheek. So the only reason Yuichi wanted to talk to him was to pass Jin’s message?

"Tell Akanishi I got the message and I’ll let him know." Kame swung his bag across his shoulder, patting Yuichi on the shoulder as he walked past. "Thanks for being the messenger."

"Wait." Yuichi reached out, as if about to grab Kame’s hand to stop him, but hesitated and pulled his hand back. "Where are you going? I can give you a lift."

"Thanks, but no thanks. I’m heading home and it’s not that near so I wouldn’t want to take up your precious time." Kame said, continuing his way towards the station without stopping.

"Oh, I heard from Jin that you’ve moved out of Erika’s." Yuichi said, trying to keep pace with Kame. He’d just have to abandon his car and hope it doesn’t get tolled away. "You didn’t mention that you managed to get a place elsewhere."

 _Jin again._ Kame tried not to roll his eyes. "Didn’t think that you would be interested to know."

"Jin said that you’ve changed your number too?"

Kame stopped in his tracks, glaring at Yuichi. "Jin this, Jin that. Geez, why don’t you just confess your undying love and devotion for him?"

"Wha- I’m just saying that Jin told me you moved out and changed your number, which you decided it wasn’t important to tell me."

"You didn’t ask."

"How could I ask? You changed your number."

"Did you even know? No. Jin told you that." Kame retorted, before storming towards the train station once more, hoping that Yuichi wouldn’t follow.

As he approached the gates, Kame thought that he would finally be able to get Yuichi off his back when, to his surprise, he noticed the other take out a Suica card like any normal citizen. It never occurred to Kame that someone like Yuichi had even taken the train before, much less be the owner of a Suica card.

He noticed Yuichi smiling at him, as if proud of himself for basically being able to behave like a normal person in society. Refusing to smile back at Yuichi’s stupidity, Kame turned around and walked as fast as possible to his train platform, wondering how long the other would continue to follow him.

Apparently, Yuichi had decided to take a silent strategy and the two remained quiet while waiting for the train. Even on the train, when the crowd meant that the two were almost squashed up against each other and Kame was trying really hard not to tease the other about it, silence remained.

After they got off at Kame’s stop, Kame headed towards the direction of the supermarket. It was only until they stepped in that Yuichi finally broke the silence.

"So, you seemed to have been pretty busy the past two weeks."

"Uh-huh."

"Work?"

"Uh-huh."

"You’re cooking dinner tonight?"

"Poor people can’t afford lavish meals at restaurants."

Pause.

"You’re a great cook. I think you should take up Jin’s offer."

Glare.

"That’s a lot of stuff you’re buying."

"I’m stocking up for the week."

"Oh, I see. Looks like a lot just for one person though."

Raised eyebrow.

"This is not just for one person."

"Oh, you’re staying with someone else?"

"Obviously. Not everyone is rich enough to be able to afford a penthouse with a great view of Tokyo Tower without needing to split the rent."

"You’re angry with me."

"I have better things to do."

"C’mon, I’m not an idiot. You’re obviously angry with me about something."

"Let’s say you’re right and I’m angry with you about something. So, what are you going to do about it?"

"Well, first, you need to tell me what you’re so angry with me about."

Stare.

Silence.

Kame turned to move towards the cashier, as Yuichi made an exasperated sigh. How was he going to fix anything if Kame was being so uncooperative?

It seemed like the conversation had come to a stop once more, but Yuichi wasn’t about to give up, following Kame all the way back to the latter’s apartment. He even tried to help carry some of the grocery bags but Kame was determined to not even acknowledge his presence.

"You’re back!"

Standing behind Kame, Yuichi noticed a guy standing at the door, smiling brightly, the thick black frames of glasses not really hiding what Yuichi had to begrudgingly admit was a very attractive guy. He wasn’t exactly gorgeous like Kame, but the other had a kawaii aura even as he stood around in a plain black tee and Adidas track pants.

"Atsuto, what are you doing standing outside?"

"I didn’t bring my key." Atsuto replied as he took the bags from Kame.

"…"

"What? Most of the time, you’re already at home with dinner ready, like a good wife." Atsuto replied, ignoring Kame’s death glare. It was then that he noticed someone standing behind, whom Atsuto recognized from the restaurant the other time. "Tsk, Kazuko, not only were you not at home waiting for me, you were out with some other guy?"

Kame raised an eyebrow at him as he unlocked the door, wondering what Atsuto was up to. "Call me ‘Kazuko’ again and you might have to watch what you’re eating later."

Before the two of them could close the door on Yuichi, he stepped forward to grab Kame by the arm. "Are you with him now?" Yuichi nodded towards Atsuto.

Kame looked at Yuichi, wondering if that was jealousy he saw in the other’s eyes. He knew what Yuichi was trying to ask. "I’m staying with him now."

"I… see." Yuichi’s hold on Kame’s arm appeared to loosen. "Are you tired of me?"

"I’m tired of what we had."

"I… understand." Yuichi nodded, as he let go of Kame. "Sorry for disturbing you. I’ll be making my way back now. Please remember to contact Jin about the offer."

Kame watched as Yuichi turned to leave, half angry at the other for being so dense and not understanding the meaning behind Kame’s words, and half angry at himself for feeling some sympathy. Yuichi had appeared sad, as if he was the victim, as if he wasn’t the one who had not bothered to contact Kame, as if he wasn’t the one just using Kame on the side while keeping his girlfriend.

"Wow he really gave up so easily." Atsuto looked a tad surprised as Kame closed the door.

"It had to end someday."  


* * * * *


	7. Chapter 7

_6 months later…_  
  
 _"…former girlfriend of tycoon Nakamaru Yuichi, has just announced her engagement to film director…"_ The entertainment news segment reported, as Atsuto tried, to no avail, to fix his tie. Giving up, he left it half done, turning his attention instead to Kame.  
  
"Hey, did you know that the guy you're still madly in love with is single now?"  
  
"I'm not madly in love with him." Kame shot back, an instinctive reply to whenever his junior implied that he still harboured feelings for Yuichi. "And yes, I know. His best friend mentioned it before."  
  
"Oh yeah, I forget that your boss is his best friend." Atsuto said. "It's kind of funny now that I think about it. Since that guy is kind of like, half my boss, what with his company's business venture with the hospital."  
  
"Are you five? What's with your tie?" Kame asked, changing the subject.  
  
"You know that I don't wear ties to work. They're so restrictive."  
  
"Doesn't mean that you haven't worn one before."  
  
"True, but usually someone has already tied it for me and I just need to slot it over my head."  
  
Kame rolled his eyes. "I live with an overgrown baby."  
  
"Back to the topic. Since you've known that he's single, assuming he hasn't found some other girl between then and now, why haven't you done anything about it?"  
  
"I thought that you dislike him?"  
  
"It doesn’t matter what I think of him or whether I like or dislike him. It’s what you think, and you still seem-"  
  
"Well, I ended it. So let's not talk about it anymore." Kame waved dismissively.  
  
"You do know that you'll see him later right?" Atsuto pointed out.  
  
"Yes. Your point is…?"  
  
Atsuto shrugged. "Just saying."

* * * * *

  
"Why are you filming the wedding?" Yuichi asked Jin, who had held the camera close to his face and started making jibes about the size of Yuichi's head.

"It's for Erika."

"Didn't she say that she didn't want to come along to the wedding because she wanted to avoid making comparisons to her own?"

"Yeah, but knowing her, she'll end up forcing me to describe all the wedding decorations in detail so that she can make our own wedding even more awesome than it already is, although I have no idea how she would be able to do that in two weeks." Jin explained.

"In that case, I don't see why you feel the need to film my nose." Yuichi rolled his eyes.

"Oh, that's because you'll be one of the main highlights of the video. Besides the decorations, I'm sure she's actually dying to see the interaction between you and her best friend after not seeing each other for almost half a year now."

"Is my life a television drama to both of you?"

"Actually, I remember Erika saying that Kamenashi's life is really just like a television drama. He's the lead actor. You just happen to be the supporting character."

"Well, I doubt we would interact much. He'll probably be polite and say hello but then he'll most likely be off doing his own thing. And it'll be the same with me."

Jin sighed melodramatically. "Yuichi, Yuichi, I thought we've already reached a conclusion that you have feelings for him and that you are going to do something about it?"

"The first part? Yes. The second part, no."

"Stop being a coward."

"He's the one who ended it. I am not going to make a fool of myself."

"If he had gotten the impression that you were not interested in him, of course he would have wanted to end it before he got dumped." Jin said. "Gee, no wonder your love life sucks, Yuichi. You're so bad at this."

"What do you expect me to do? Go and find him and confess to him? It's my sister's wedding. It's his brother's wedding. Neither of us would want to make a scene and distract everyone else from the main event."

"Precisely! He wouldn't want to cause a scene so he would have no choice but to react calmly to whatever you say to him instead of throw a dramatic princess tantrum or something. And he would know that you are not trying to cause a scene either, so you must be serious about what you're saying to him. It's the perfect opportunity."

Yuichi stared at Jin. "Why do I have a feeling that what you just said was probably what Erika-chan might have said?"

Jin waved dismissively. "Anyway, your big head is blocking the view so I have to go off and get a better view of the decorations and all the food. See you later!" He said, as he strode off and left Yuichi alone.

Yuichi was surprised by Jin's sudden departure, when he heard a loud squeal from several girls standing a few meters away from him.

"Kazuya-kun! We haven't seen you for so long!"

And there, decked out in a suit and looking as amazing as Yuichi last remembered, was Kame arriving at the wedding. Yuichi felt his stomach doing several cartwheels, as Kame smiled brightly at the group of girls. He missed having Kame's smile being directed at him. Watching Kame interact with the girls, it reminded Yuichi of Jin's engagement party, when he had observed Kame flirting with several people and being the centre of attention even when he wasn't supposed to be.

Somehow, Kame must have felt someone's stare as he seemed to look around before his gaze stopped on Yuichi. Their eyes locked for a second, and Yuichi felt time stop in that moment, before Kame quickly turned his gaze away and onto someone else. It was only then that Yuichi noticed someone familiar coming up behind Kame, and it took him awhile to register that the person next to Kame now was the one Kame had left him for.

The girls squealing continued, obviously happy to see the arrival of the other person. From Yuichi's research, he knew that the other was a pediatrician at the hospital. Okay, so the guy was a doctor. So what? Yuichi was probably the most eligible bachelor right now. Surely he was several levels better than that guy?

As the girls finally dispersed and the two guys walked further into the dining hall, Yuichi continued watching them like some crazy stalker. Suddenly, Kame stopped and turned to the other guy, reaching out for the other's tie.

_"I really like the tie. It lets me lead you along."_

Kame's words rang in his head, reminding Yuichi of the times they used to spend together. But Kame was now fixing the tie of the other guy, who looked half-embarrassed and half-annoyed by Kame's actions.

Yuichi couldn't help but turn his gaze away.  


* * * * *

  
"If you wanted to fix my tie, why couldn't you have done so earlier at home?" Atsuto complained. "You're just trying to make me look stupid, aren't you?"

"Nah, I'm just providing fan service to those nurses." Kame joked.

"What are you? A pop idol?" Atsuto retorted, before eyeing Kame suspiciously. "Is that guy somewhere here watching? Are you trying to make him jealous?"

"What are you talking about?" Kame asked innocently. "There. Done."

"If my food gets poisoned by some jealous billionaire, it's your fault."

"Don't worry. My family will cover your medical bills. I'm sure it's part of staff benefits and welfare."

"Ha-ha. Very funny." Atsuto crossed his arms. "You're behaving like a teenage girl, trying to catch a guy's attention by pretending to flirt with other people."

"You're thinking too much. It's not like I kissed you or anything. I just fixed your tie."

"Well, now that you've done that, you can go be the good brother and take photos and say hello to strangers or something. I, on the other hand, will go find my seat and be playing my PSP."

Kame stared at Atsuto. "I can't believe you brought it along."

"Weddings are kind of boring to me. I'm only here for the food." Atsuto stated matter-of-factly. "Now, shoo."

Kame shook his head, before moving off to find his brother, leaving Atsuto to find his own seat in the banquet hall.

As Atsuto settled down, he had every intention of playing his game and ignoring everyone else until the food came, if it wasn't for the fact that he kept feeling some sort of death glare on him. He tried to ignore it at first, but when he failed to get to the next level for the third try, he couldn't help but mess his hair in frustration. Kame would probably chide him for his messy hair later, but whatever. It was indirectly Kame's fault after all.

Scanning the banquet hall as he kept his handheld game, he soon spotted a somewhat familiar looking face. The other person looked away immediately when he spotted Atsuto looking at him. Getting up from his seat, Atsuto strode towards the person he presumed was Nakamaru Yuichi.

"Why have you been staring at me?"

"Sorry?" Yuichi blinked, trying to pretend to be innocent. It was true that he probably spent the last ten minutes or so trying to shoot mental daggers at the other guy instead of entertaining guests, but he was never going to admit that.

"You know, I'm kind of confused about your intentions towards Kame." Atsuto began. "At first I thought you're just one of those people who was only interested in a physical relationship, but considering that you've just wasted about ten minutes of your life giving me a jealous stare, I'm beginning to think you're not that bad after all… other than the fact that you caused me to get 'game over' three times already."

"I was perturbed by the fact that you were playing games during my sister's wedding." Yuichi stated. He was starting to regret having 'wasted about ten minutes of his life' staring at the other, because he was really in no mood to talk to the person who had Kame's attention now.

"When did you break up with that actress girl? I'm sure it was at least a few months ago if she had time to find some other rich person to get engaged to. Are you attached now? If not, why? Is it because you like Kame?"

Yuichi narrowed his eyes at Atsuto. "I don't see why I should be answering any of your questions."

"I'm trying to give you a diagnosis. I'm a doctor after all. I help people."

"You're only a pediatrician. I doubt this is in your field of expertise."

"I see that you've done some research about me? Well, the two of you are acting a lot like children at the moment so I do feel that this is in my field of expertise."

"Don't worry. I'm not the type of guy who will break up other people's relationship."

"Aww, really? That's boring." Atsuto faked a yawn. "That's definitely not going to win you Kame back."

"Are you telling me that you _want_ me to compete with you for Kame?"

Atsuto laughed. "You won't be competing with me. You'll be competing with that stubborn senpai of mine."

Yuichi was starting to get confused. It almost felt that Kame's boyfriend was… helping him?

"I can see that you're confused." Atsuto said. "Kame's just my friend, kind of like an overprotective brother sometimes, and a maid at other times since he does clean the house and cook meals for me."

"So… you're just housemates?" Yuichi asked.

Atsuto nodded. "Don't tell Kame I told you though. He would kill me. So just pretend that you're an aggressive guy who doesn't give a damn whether Kame is attached or not and would do whatever it takes to get him back. I think Kame might like that sort of drama."

"So he likes me?"

"Duh. Although he likes to deny it." Atsuto rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I need to get back to my game."

"Erm, okay." Yuichi nodded, a little perturbed by the odd turn of events. Not that the other party noticed, as Yuichi watched the other return to his own world.  


* * * * *

  
Sometimes, Kame really hated weddings, especially rich people's weddings. It was like some sort of festival for rich families to sell off their children, usually the daughters, to the other rich families. Like some sort of barter trade. As Kame went around taking photos of the guests, he'd already received 'offers' from parents who wanted him to 'make friends' with their daughter. It didn't help that he was 'next in line to get married' and didn't have any steady girlfriend at the moment. Imagine if he was a girl? His father would probably do the same and offer him to the highest bidder or something.

 _Yeah, and the irony would be if he offers you to the Nakamaru family and you become Yuichi's wife or something._ Kame thought to himself.

"And the man behind another camera…" Kame heard a voice behind him. He turned, wanting to make some sarcastic remark at Jin, but stopped short when he saw Yuichi next to his boss. _Damnit._

"What do you want, Akanishi?"

"Say 'hello' to Erika." Jin indicated at the camera. "I'm filming this for her since she refuses to come."

"Did you remember to press the 'record' button?"

"I'm not stupid, Kamenashi. If I was, are you saying I made a stupid decision to hire you?" Jin retorted.

"That's probably one of your very few smart decisions." Kame replied.

"Tsk, tsk, how rude of you to speak in that tone to your boss."

"Forgive me, Sir, for getting irritated whenever I see your face. It's an instinctive reaction because I see enough of you every time I go to work."

"What are you talking about? Oh, are you referring to that photo of me during the opening ceremony that's hanging in the restaurant. Mind you, this face of mine brings in lots of customers to the restaurant."

Yuichi smacked Jin on the head. "Don't think so highly of yourself, Jin. I'm sure the customers go there for the good food."

"Hey! If they haven't tried the food before how would they know if it's good or not? My branding is what makes people willing to give it a try." Jin defended. "Anyway, if the two of you are just going to insult me, then I'm better off going to film the pastry."

Both Kame and Yuichi raised their eyebrows, but Jin just ignored them and stalked off, pretending to be offended by them. It was only then that Kame realised that he was alone with Yuichi, something he had been trying to avoid for the last six months. _Stupid Akanishi._ He was sure that the guy had left them alone on purpose.

"It's been a while." Yuichi began, breaking the awkward silence.

"Nakamaru-san, I'm sorry I wasn't able to meet your family the last time. I was busy. It's a pleasure meeting you, finally." Kame said, hoping that his act would annoy Yuichi into leaving him alone.

Yuichi blinked, not expecting Kame to pretend not to know him. He expected maybe a cold reception, or Kame pretending that nothing had happened between them, but pretending not to even know him… that seemed a little extreme. He recalled his conversation with Atsuto earlier. Was this what Atsuto meant by Yuichi having to compete with Kame himself to win over Kame?

Well, Kame was always a stubborn one.

"I missed you."

He had been missing Kame since that day they broke up, although it took Yuichi at least a month before he admitted it to himself and everyone else. Jin had been reprimanding him for not being straightforward with himself and Kame, and said it was the cause of the problem right now. (Yuichi would rather die first before he ever told Jin about the feelings he once had for his best friend, though.)

Kame appeared to be somewhat taken aback by Yuichi's words, but quickly recovered, the mask back on his face. "That's funny, Nakamaru-san. How could you possibly miss me when you don't even know me?"

"Stop pretending, Kame." Yuichi said. A part of him was scared that maybe Atsuto was just playing a prank and Kame really didn't care about him anymore, but a part of him wanted to believe the other, that Kame had feelings for him back then, and still did. "And don't try to deny the fact that you've missed me too."

Somehow, Yuichi felt more confident and sure of Kame's feelings after saying that, as he noted a look of surprise on Kame's face again.

"I remember you calling me delusional in the past. Now look who's the one being delusional." Kame said.

"I remember that." Yuichi nodded, crossing his arms. "I also remember you declaring that you were going to make me fall in love with you. Now that you've succeeded in that, shouldn't you bear the responsibility?"

"Wh- What?" Kame stuttered. Was Yuichi confessing his feelings for him? No, that couldn't be it. Yuichi only wanted a physical relationship with him, no strings attached. He wasn't going to let Yuichi have things his way again. "Well, I'm sorry to let you know that this was just a game to me."

"Liar." Yuichi accused, feeling even more confident. Kame didn't even look him in the eye when he said that, which seemed out of character.

"Believe what you want. I'm not playing this game anymore. I've got Atsuto."

"Liar." Yuichi repeated. "You're actually scared, aren't you? If you really didn't care about me, why would you pretend that you didn't know me at all? The ever confident Kamenashi Kazuya would probably brush me off like some unimportant admirer instead of pretending to be polite when meeting his brother-in-law."

"I'm scared?" Kame raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly am I scared of?"

"You're scared that I'll find out that you've been in love with me all this time. And you're scared that I might feel the same."

"Stop this." Kame closed his eyes. He really did not want to believe Yuichi, but knowing how the other was always someone who would be in a state of denial especially when it came to the topic of feelings, to hear Yuichi admit his feelings for Kame… it was almost surreal.

"So you're admitting it." Yuichi asked, somewhat hopeful that he got through to Kame, but somewhat worried that maybe Kame might want to punch him right now for getting too close to the truth or something.

Kame shook his head. "I'm telling you to stop this right now because people are getting suspicious about what we're talking about. You and I both know that you have a reputation to keep, so let's not risk ruining it now, shall we? You wouldn't want them to know what had happened between the two of us."

Seeing that Kame hadn't denied being in love with him, and was even worried about Yuichi's reputation, Yuichi wanted to smile. It took him all his effort not to. "They probably think you've done something to me and that I'm demanding an apology. Except that I don't want an apology. I just want you."

Kame opened his eyes, looking into Yuichi's and seeing only honesty. Yuichi was right; he was starting to feel scared, because he realised that he might really be in love with Yuichi. Kame had thought that maybe it was just a passing phase, and denied it every time Atsuto had implied otherwise. After accepting Jin's job offer, Kame had decided to focus completely on his work, and although he found his thoughts occasionally straying to Yuichi, he constantly brushed it off.

"Nakamaru-kun, there you are, I've been looking for you." The two of them turned to see the lady who had interrupted their conversation. "Don't you remember me? It's me, Arisa-chan. I just came back from the States."

It was like Kame was slapped in the face by something called 'reality'. So what if he was in love with Yuichi? So what if maybe Yuichi was telling the truth and wanted him for more than just a physical relationship? Things would never work out anyway. Few years down the road, it would be Yuichi he'll see getting married, to this Arisa girl or any other girl offered to him.

"Please excuse me." Kame said, before making a quick exit before Yuichi could stop him.  


* * * * *


	8. Chapter 8

Yuichi normally did not like taking Jin's advice, especially when it often involved doing things he knew he would regret later. But in this case, considering that Jin had a very strong, valid point about Yuichi's lack of experience in the romance department, Yuichi didn't think he had much of a choice.

After all, seeking the advice of Jin would be a whole lot safer than that of Ueda's or Ryo's, both of whom would surely get him into situations worth putting on reality TV dramas.

"It's time for you to do the chasing." Jin had said. "You've spotted your prey, so now you need to make your move, and show no mercy."

Yuichi really hoped this would be one of those rare times he doesn't regret listening to Jin.

* * * * *

_Advice No. 1: Make your presence felt._

This explained why Yuichi was now seated in Jin's restaurant, with his office laptop on the table tilted at an angle next to a plate of spaghetti, and one of his business associates seated across from him. He was having a business meeting over lunch at Jin's restaurant, while 'making his presence felt'.

It helped that the interior designer Jin had hired decided on a somewhat 'open kitchen' concept, with only a glass wall separating the kitchen from the dining area that surrounded it. This meant that as long as he strategically chose his seat, Yuichi could eat, do his work, and enjoy the sight of Kame at work all at the same time.

The only problem was that he had no idea what his progress was (and whether Jin's advice was useful at all) considering that it was already the fifth day he'd been parking himself at the restaurant to work and Kame still hadn't spoken a single word to him.

* * * * *

Kame could not decide what sort of mood he should be in right now. On one hand, he was annoyed as hell at Yuichi's continued presence at the restaurant. On the other hand, he was kind of amazed that Yuichi even had the guts to stalk him at his workplace.

On the first day that Yuichi had parked himself at the restaurant, some of Kame's colleagues were wondering who he was and why he was there the whole day. Kame had hoped that someone would have the common sense to try to get Yuichi to leave --- he refused to talk to the other, after all, since that was most likely Yuichi's objective --- until one of them pointed out that he was 'extremely rich', 'friends with Akanishi-san' and 'not to be offended'.

By the fourth day, Kame was pretty sure that Yuichi had tried almost all of the dishes on the menu, from main courses to desserts. Or specifically, the ones that Kame prepared. After all, according to the waiters and waitresses, Yuichi often asked 'which of these does Kamenashi-san prepare?'. 

By then Kame was also sure that his colleagues speculated that Yuichi was here for Kame --- though most thought it was because he wanted to hire Kame for a restaurant he intended to open or something along those lines. Except for a few of the girls, who were probably more perceptive and suspected otherwise.

By the fifth day, it seemed like everyone else was so accustomed to Yuichi's presence that no one even blinked an eye. It seemed as if only Kame was still affected by it, but maybe it was because he could feel Yuichi's eyes on him every now and then. _Jin and his stupid idea of having a glass wall kitchen!_

Kame also suspected that Jin had a part to play in this 'stalking business' of Yuichi's. After all, he vaguely remembered Erika complaining to him about Jin making a dental appointment every single day for a whole week until she threatened to pull out all his teeth.

Glaring at the tomato he was currently chopping, Kame wished it was Jin's head he was chopping instead for giving such bad advice.

* * * * *

"We have to get back in 30 minutes."

"Don't you get sick of hearing yourself say the same thing?" Atsuto asked his colleague, Maya. Although the two of them were in different departments in the hospital, --- Atsuto was in pediatrics while Maya was in the brain surgeon division --- they got to know each other only because of their preference for the same hairstylist.

"I would if I didn't have to worry about getting back before Honda-san glares at me as if I've taken a lunch break that lasted five hours." Maya replied. "I always have 20-minute lunch breaks at the canteen and I don't see why today has to be an exception."

"Because I told my senpai that I'll be going over to his restaurant." 

"So why do I have to come along?"

"Because you have a car." Atsuto said as he pushed the door to the restaurant open. Waving dismissively at the waitress who greeted the two of them, Atsuto walked straight towards the glass kitchen to where Kame was standing, knocking lightly on it to get the latter's attention.

Looking up from his frying pan, Kame looked questioningly at Atsuto, who signalled for him to come out of the kitchen. After passing the task over to the sous chef, Kame came out of the kitchen with his arms crossed. "What is it? It's lunch time, it's the busy period."

"I came to pick up lunch. Remember I told you I was coming over?"

"No. I made you your bento. You know the one I make for you every single day."

"I left it at home."

"You lied!" Maya shouted. "Why can't you just go back and pick up your bento. Now Honda-san is going to kill me for being late!"

"But my home is further than the restaurant. Then won't you be even later if you had to drive me home to pick up my bento?"

"Who said I was going to drive you home? Take the public transport!"

"Who is this person?" Kame interrupted, pointing at Maya. 

"He reports to Honda-san." Atsuto replied.

"Sou ka. How is he?"

"Same old, same old."

"Still dressing in his over-the-top style?"

"Hai, hai. It's a good thing he's usually in his surgeon clothes."

"Excuse me, but erm, we're in a hurry so can you please just cook for this guy so that we can be off?" Maya cut in, as he kept staring at his watch.

Kame eyed Maya for a while, before turning back to Atsuto. "You were saying that he reports to Honda?"

Atsuto nodded. "Sou, sou. You can complain to Honda-san about this guy's rudeness."

"Eh?" Maya looked at the two, confused

"Anyway, you're gonna have to pay for lunch. I'm not supposed to be throwing out free lunches as if I own this place." Kame said.

"Don't worry, this guy here will pay." Atsuto pointed at Maya.

"Hey, who says I'm paying?"

"I didn't bring my wallet."

"Whatever. You two can decide over who's paying while I go cook." Kame said, turning around to head back to the kitchen, when another voice interrupted.

"You can just put it on my tab."

"Oh, you're here." Atsuto turned to Yuichi, who had been sitting at a table nearby, watching the scene before him. "You're having your lunch here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Kame chided, before heading back to the kitchen, not willing to partake in any conversation with Yuichi.

"Have you been eating here this whole week?" Atsuto asked Yuichi.

"Ah, yeah." Yuichi replied sheepishly.

"No wonder. Kame's been having mood swings this whole week. He even forgot to add tamagoyaki into my bento the other day."

"You're just a spoilt brat, aren't you?" Maya remarked.

"By the way, that's Kamenashi-senpai. He was in the same class as Honda-san during university."

"Wait, Kamenashi? As in, like, related to the director of the hospital?"

"Uh huh." Atsuto nodded, before turning back to Yuichi and ignoring his friend going into panic mode.

"Thanks for lunch. But don’t expect any favours from me just because you bought me a meal. I am not so easily bought over."

"I wasn’t expecting that-" Yuichi started to say as the other continued.

"That’s what I would have normally said. But this stubbornness from senpai is getting ridiculous, so let me know if you need any help."

"Th-thanks, I think." 

"Food and gifts as compensation for losing my housekeeper will help though." Atsuto added cheekily as Maya exclaimed aghast.

"And you just claimed you won’t be bought over!!"

* * * * *

"You're doing it wrong." Jin said, as he sat in the seat across from Yuichi. Ordering a cup of coffee, he turned his attention back to his best friend who had frowned at him with a  confused look. Jin lowered his voice a little so that no one else in the restaurant could hear them. "I said to make your presence felt, not work in my restaurant the whole day, using electricity I paid for, and giving the wrong idea to all my staff. They think you're here to headhunt Kamenashi, not to woo him."

"What? They called you to tell you that?"

"Yep, my restaurant manager called me a few days ago wondering if I knew about you being here and mentioned that you always ordered the dishes prepared by Kamenashi. At first I thought, okay, you're here cos you're following my advice, but I didn't think you would be here the whole day. I thought you're only here during lunch. Then Ryo and Ueda thanked me for helping them lower the cost of electricity for the month."

Yuichi nodded, keeping a straight face. "It's true, our power bill has gone down for the month thanks to your advice and generosity. The food here is value for money too, so my entertainment expenses are lower as well since I bring the clients here instead."

"Very funny." Jin scowled. "Anyway, it's been a week, has he even come out of the kitchen to talk to you even once?"

"Nope. Your advice sucks." Yuichi complained.

"It's not my fault! It's all yours!" Jin said defensively. "At least I got Erika to talk to me. Although she did threaten to pull out all my teeth but that's still better than being ignored. He didn't even threaten to poison your food, did he?"

"No, but I would like to think it's because I'm not as annoying as you are."

"And I would like to remind you for the hundredth time that I'm the one who's going to get married."

"Erika must have agreed to marry you just so that you'll stop annoying her with your ridiculous antics. A pity that she's going to be stuck with you forever."

Jin stuck his tongue out. "You're just jealous." 

* * * * *

_Advice No. 2: Give lots of flowers and presents._

Yuichi strongly rejected Jin's idea of sending Kame flowers, because that seemed like something one would do if one wanted to please a girl, but Kame wasn't a girl and Yuichi didn't want to risk offending Kame by implying that.

Instead, Yuichi found himself seated at his office desk, notepad opened and a pen in hand, as he listed out the items he wanted to give to Kame.

"If you're that free, could you at least read some of the contracts I passed to you last week?" Ryo asked, when he found Yuichi staring blankly at the notepad before him as he entered the room.

"Don't worry, I'll get to them."

"You said that last week."

"I was busy last week." Yuichi brushed off Ryo's worries. "Say, what would you give to someone you like?"

"What kind of stupid question is that?"

"It's not stupid. I'm trying to get ideas."

"Isn't it obvious that you should get something meaningful, or if you can't think of anything meaningful then at least get something the other person likes?" Ryo stated. "What? Stalking Kamenashi for the whole of last week hasn't gotten his attention yet?"

"It wasn't stalking. And well, I wouldn't say that it hasn't gotten his attention but I'm not too sure it was in a good way." Yuichi sighed. "In fact, I wonder if it had the opposite effect of what I wanted. Kame's friend mentioned that he was having mood swings."

"Mood swings?" Ryo raised an eyebrow. "Well, maybe this is something you should be asking Ueda. That guy has mood swings all the time."

Yuichi laughed. "Better not let him hear you say that."

Ryo shrugged. "I'm not scared of him. More importantly, while you're busy trying to fix your love life, please remember to do your job as well, dear President."

"Hai, hai. You're becoming a nag, Nishikido."

"Oi!"

* * * * *

Kame was annoyed with himself.

For the past few days, Yuichi had not gone to the restaurant. Did he give up so easily? Or was he just trying to make fun of Kame? From what Kame knew about Yuichi, it didn't seem like the other was the type who would tease people like that, and that just made Kame disappointed at Yuichi's lack of perseverance. It made Kame feel like he was not worth fighting for.

And when Kame started to have such thoughts and feelings, he started to get annoyed at himself for thinking and feeling that way.

"Get a grip, Kamenashi." He said to himself, as he got off the elevator and towards the apartment. Continuously telling himself mentally not to care about Yuichi anymore as he unlocked the door, the last thing Kame expected to see was someone in a rabbit suit sitting in the living room.

Wait, or was it a pig? Since the nose was like that of a pig's snout. But then it had bunny ears. And a bow tie. And why the heck was he more concerned about whether it was pig or a rabbit than the fact that it was there in the first place?!

"Oh, you're finally back." Atsuto greeted. "You have a visitor, and it brought gifts too."

Now that Atsuto mentioned it, Kame noticed that this... thing was seated on the sofa with gifts all over the floor at its feet. He saw some baseball equipment, an apron, a box of fresh strawberries on the table, a miniature Tokyo Tower built using Nanoblock, the latest iPad, games for Nintendo DS and PSP, and a pair of jeans that Kame had wanted to buy but couldn't afford...

"What's the meaning of this?" Kame asked the 'rabbit', which he decided it was more likely to be considering the whole 'Usagi-san' thing he had with Yuichi.

This new version of Usagi-san merely flapped its arms as if trying to make a show of the gifts before him, ignoring Kame's questions. Dumping his bag on the floor, Kame stalked towards the 'rabbit', hands reaching out to pull the head off to reveal its true identity.

Immediately, paws shot up to try to hold the head down, resulting in a mini struggle between the two of them while Atsuto watched on in amusement. The two ended up falling onto the floor, with the 'rabbit' struggling to move, allowing Kame to pull out the head to reveal the person he was expecting.

"What's the meaning of this?" Kame repeated his question to Yuichi, whose hair was in a mess and who looked like he was melting from the heat.

"I-"

"Forget it." Kame cut Yuichi off before the other could even reply, getting up from where he was sitting on top of the other. "Just take them all back and leave."

"Hey can I keep the iPad and the games?" Atsuto asked from where he sat.

Kame glared at his friend. "Whatever. I don't care." 

Picking up his bag, he went into his room, slamming the door behind him.

* * * * *


	9. Chapter 9

Yuichi sat in the driver's seat of the wedding car, tapping his left foot as he waited for Jin. He had called his best friend earlier to let him know that he was on the way to pick Jin up. That somehow translated to "I will start getting ready when the car reaches my doorstep", though Yuichi couldn't really be surprised.  
  
As he waited, he was reminded of the scene a couple of months back, when he had been waiting in the restaurant kitchen as Jin proposed to Erika, eating his favourite strawberry shortcake and feeling sorry for himself, until Kame stepped into his life.  
  
The door to the car opened, as Jin hurried in.  
  
"Oh hi Jin. Don't worry. It was no problem waiting."  
  
Jin rolled his eyes. "No time for your nonsense today, Yuichi."  
  
"So you say."  
  
"Erika just called. She's having a panic attack. I need you to drive as fast as possible to the hotel."  
  
"What happened?" Yuichi asked as he pulled out of Jin's driveway.  
  
"No idea. She just started rambling on and on about the dress and how the wedding was ruined so I told her to calm down and wait for me to get there." Jin said, before taking out his phone. "I should call Kamenashi."  
  
Yuichi felt his heart skip hearing Kame's name, and inwardly scolded himself. Now wasn't the time to behave like a teenage boy with a crush. Sure, he missed Kame, but there was a high chance that Kame was going to ignore him as much as possible during the wedding, especially after their last encounter. But if anything, Yuichi would rather Kame stay mad at him, than be indifferent.  
  
When they arrived, they found out that due to a mix up, Erika's wedding dress had been sent to another town. Kame was seated next to Erika, speaking to her softly, trying to calm her down. Upon seeing Yuichi and Jin, Erika immediately stood up and walked towards them, holding her hand out.  
  
"Pass me the keys. I'm going to go get my dress."  
  
"Don't be crazy, Erika." Kame said, walking towards them and reaching for Erika's hand. "Didn't I tell you that you need not worry about a thing, and that I would settle the problem?"  
  
"Let me go with you." Erika insisted.  
  
"We've been through this earlier. You just need to stay here, calm yourself down and get yourself ready-"  
  
"How can I be ready without my dress?!"  
  
"Erika, do you trust me?" Kame looked at Erika expectantly, both hands on her shoulders. When she nodded, Kame continued. "Then you should trust me enough to bring your dress back and make sure that your wedding is as perfect as you've planned it to be."  
  
"...Okay."  
  
"Good." Kame smiled encouragingly, before turning to Jin. "I need you to stay with her and make sure she is fine. You need to get yourself ready anyway."  
  
Jin nodded. "Yuichi, can you drive Kamenashi?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"I can go on my own."  
  
Yuichi and Kame replied simultaneously.  
  
Having already expected Kame's reply, Yuichi continued. "I have the keys, and if I drive, you don't have to worry about parking and all that."  
  
Kame sighed. Normally, he would have argued to avoid being alone with Yuichi, but seeing that there was no time, he gave in. "Fine."  
  
Yuichi tried to hide his smile, knowing that this wasn't the time to be cheering over small victories.   


* * * * *

There was an uncomfortable silence throughout the journey. The only other time Kame was willing to speak to him was to tell him where to head to. After Kame had picked up the dress, it was back to the awkward silence on the journey back.

Seeing that the two of them were going to be stuck together for only about half an hour more, with nowhere for Kame to hide, Yuichi knew that if he didn't make use of this opportunity to force Kame to speak to him, then he wasn't ever going to succeed otherwise.

"About that day... I'm sorry if I upset you." Yuichi started.

Kame glanced at Yuichi, before turning his attention back to the road. "I'm not upset. Why should I be upset? What you want to do has nothing to do with me."

"Of course it has to do with you."

"My best friend is marrying your best friend. That's it. There's no other relation between us, and I don't want anything more to do with you, Nakamaru-san."

Yuichi sighed. He recognised this tactic of Kame's, trying to pretend that nothing had happened and that they were merely strangers with common acquaintances. "You're lying. You were lying back then, and you're lying now."

"I didn't lie." Kame stated after a moment's pause. Seeing that Yuichi wasn't going to back down, and that the two of them probably needed to have this conversation anyway, Kame decided to get straight to the point so that this whole thing could finally end. "I was tired of going behind your _girlfriend's_ back, having a purely sexual relationship that had no meaning. And I definitely have no intention of having the same thing happen again, whether or not you're single or attached."

Yuichi turned to Kame as the car pulled to a stop at the traffic junction. "I'm not looking for that."

Kame raised an eyebrow. "Then what is it that you want this time? Friendship? Sorry, I'm not interested in being friends with you."

"Why? Because you want us to be more than friends? Don't try to deny that you have feelings for me. I know that you do." Yuichi said, a tinge of exasperation in his voice.

"Didn't we already have this conversation the last time? And after your whole stalking and gifts, haven't you gotten the hint that I am not interested?" Kame turned to look out of the window, avoiding Yuichi's eyes. "Even if you are right and I might have feelings for you, why does it matter? Why start something that isn't going to work out in the end?"

"We won't know unless we try."

Kame scoffed. "Don't be silly. Do you realise who you are? Your status? What about your family's expectations?"

"Weren't you the one who said that sometimes I just have to throw away all those expectations and do what makes me happy?"

"But you can't just throw away everything! In case you forgot, I'm not a girl. A relationship with me has its consequences. You should know best that being with me is the last thing you need."

It wasn't as if he hadn't thought about the consequences of having a relationship with Kame. He had thought about them again and again, even analysing all the possible ways of dealing with any backlash. Yuichi even tried to be rational and weighed the pros and cons of being with Kame, but it always came down to one answer.

"Kame, you're right. You're not the one that I need."

Hearing Yuichi's words hurt more than Kame expected. He almost laughed at himself, when he felt that pain in his chest. After all, Yuichi was merely agreeing with what he had said. As Kame was about to say something, to show that this was the right decision to take, Yuichi continued.

"That's what the old me would have said."

"Wh- What?"

"I don't need you. But I want you. And before you start saying that what I want may not be good for me, let's just say, I'm very sure that I'm already past caring. I mean, of course, if I try to be practical and logical and sensible and whatever, I would walk away right now. But I just can't bring myself to do it, because I love you."

There was a moment of silence, as Yuichi waited for Kame to say something. "You'll regret this."

"I won’t."

"Maybe not now. Maybe not tomorrow, not in a few weeks, not in a few months. But years down the road, you’ll regret it." Kame took a deep breath. "You’ll get tired of all the disapproving looks that other people will give you. You’ll get tired of walking around, pretending not to hear the gossips about you. Then you’ll see other guys playing in the park with their kids and you’ll wish you were one of them. You’re someone who has always done the ‘right thing’, so you’ll start to wonder, was it all worth it?"

"In the position I’m in, it doesn’t matter what I do, there’ll always be disapproving looks and gossips. What I learnt was to only care about the opinions of people who are important to me." Yuichi argued. "And _you_ are important to me."

"And what do your parents think about all of this?"

Yuichi opened his mouth to reply but found that he couldn’t. He hadn’t told his parents. He was planning to do so, but just hadn’t found the right time. Taking a quick glance at Kame, he could see that Kame’s eyes had soften, already knowing Yuichi’s answer.

"I..." Kame began, before turning away from Yuichi. "I don’t want to have any false hope."

"I’ll tell-"

"Let’s just get back to the wedding as soon as possible before Erika has a major breakdown." Kame changed the topic. "It’s our best friends’ big day. Let’s not talk about us anymore?"

Hearing the almost pleading tone in Kame’s voice, Yuichi nodded. A part of him wanted to reach out for Kame’s hand, to let Kame know that he wasn’t trying to give the other false hope, that he was going to make sure everything would work out. Somehow, he just didn’t have the courage.

* * * * *

"I’d be surprised if you’ll able to put any food into your mouth later." Ryo rolled his eyes, noticing how Yuichi’s attention was solely on Kame, when everyone else’s was on the video montage showing.

"Don’t be stupid, Nishikido. He’s an adult, not a toddler. Unlike you." Ueda remarked, while Yuichi appeared to either ignore them, or was just too busy looking at someone else to pay attention.

When the video montage ended, the two of them tried not to laugh at Yuichi’s belated reaction.

"Why don’t you just talk to him?"

"Hm?" Yuichi blinked, before registering Ueda’s question. "I have. Earlier."

"Then?"

Yuichi shrugged, indicating that he didn’t want to talk about it right now. Just then, Yuichi’s mum signalled for him to join the table, where his parents were seated with Jin’s and Erika’s parents.

"Twenty-four-seven monitoring." Ryo patted Yuichi on the back. "Better not let the parents catch you staring at Kamenashi."

"Nishikido Ryo." Ueda glared at Ryo, signalling for him to keep his mouth shut.

Yuichi knew that Ryo was just trying to tell him to be careful. After all, although his friends were accepting of his feelings for Kame, it didn’t mean that their parents were open to it. He suddenly recalled his ex-girlfriend’s voiced opinions on homosexuality, and wondered if he would get the same reaction from his parents.

It was something Yuichi had thought about countless of times. Now all he needed to do was find the right time to tell them.

Settling into the empty seat next to his mum, Yuichi forced a polite smile on his face.

"So when is it your turn, Yuichi-kun?" Jin’s father asked.

"Don’t give him any ideas. He’s already married to the company." Yuichi’s father replied on his behalf.

"He’s always so busy with work." Yuichi’s mum lamented, before turning to Yuichi. "You should take some time off now and then to meet new people."

"You know..." Jin’s mum began. "Jin’s really lucky to have found Erika on his own, but maybe Yuichi-kun would be able to meet the right girl through an omiai? Since he’s always so busy..."

"I wouldn’t want to burden anyone’s daughter with this boy." Yuichi’s father joked. 

"What are you talking about? Any parent would be glad to have him as a son-in-law!" Jin’s mum said. "Honestly, if Jin was a girl, I’ll definitely want Yuichi-kun as my son-in-law."

Yuichi tried not to laugh at the irony behind that, forcing himself to maintain a polite smile throughout the conversation. From the corner of his eye, he could see Kame interacting with some of the other guests, easily charming everyone as usual. But Yuichi could tell that the smile on Kame’s face did not reach his eyes.

He felt a touch on his arm, pulling his attention back to the conversation at hand.

"You see, even though he’s sitting here, his mind is probably on work." Yuichi’s father chided.

"But you’re secretly ecstatic about that, aren’t you?" Jin’s father pointed out. "With Yuichi-kun, you’re able to have an early retirement and not have a single worry."

"True." Yuichi’s father nodded, smiling proudly at his son. "Like your mum said, there’s no harm for you to take some time off now and then, son. Go out and find the girl of your dreams! If I worried about work all the time like you do, I would have never met your mother."

Yuichi merely nodded. He couldn’t possibly tell them right now, with everyone else around, that he had already found someone. But as he glanced and noticed that Kame was now seated alone, a few tables away, he knew that he had to tell them the truth soon, even if it meant he had to disappoint his parents.

Even if it meant he had to give up everything.

* * * * *

"You’re a dollop head."

Kame raised an eyebrow at Erika, who had managed to pull herself away from everyone else for a short while to plop into the seat next to her best friend. "I’ve never even heard of that phrase before."

"Heard it on some television show." Erika waved dismissively. "Basically, you’re an idiot. Both of you are. I had a perfect view from where I was seated with Jin in front. You were sitting here, pining for him. He was sitting there, pining for you. Tsk."

"Today’s your big day. We shouldn’t be sitting here talking about me."

"Stop trying to avoid it, Kazuya." Erika sighed, tone softening. "It’s difficult for me to be happy when I see my best friend looking so forlorn the whole time."

"Sorry." Kame mumbled. "It’s just... I don’t want to ruin his life. I mean, for me, it doesn’t matter. I don’t care what people say about me. But for him... He has the image of having a perfect life. I don’t want to ruin that."

"I think it’s a bit late to say that. If you ask me, you’ve already ruined him."

"Gee, thanks for comforting me, Erika."

"How should I put it... Like you said, he gives everyone the impression that his life is perfect. He’s always doing the ‘right thing’ and whatever it is that’s expected of him. Yet here he is, clearly choosing to do something he would have never thought of doing so in the past. Because of you. You’ve already changed him, and I think it’s too late for everything to go back to the way things were before he met you."

"It’s not too late yet. He can still move on, forget that I even exist." Kame insisted. "And if I need to disappear so that he can forget, then I’ll do just that."

Erika scowled. "You do that and I’ll personally hunt you down and torture you. Can you stop acting like your life is a tragic love story? Ugh, I feel like I’m watching a drama series that never ends. The protagonist keeps whining about how everyone only likes him for his looks, and when he finally finds someone who cares about him beyond that, he remains as a stubborn idiot, refusing to accept that he could be _happy_."

"I’m being realistic. The happiness will be short-lived." Kame argued.

"So basically you’re just being a coward, right?" Erika pointed out. "Kazuya, do you think I honestly knew that it would have been a happy ending when I started going out with Jin?"

"I thought you went out with him because he was being a nuisance at the clinic and you wanted him to stop?"

"You’re missing the point." Erika groaned. "What I’m trying to say is, no one knows how things will end. Even now that I’m married, I wouldn’t know if things will be happily ever after. Sometimes love lasts, sometimes it hurts instead. But even when some relationships end, there would have been moments of happiness."

"Is it really wrong of me to choose the option where I don’t risk ending up being hurt?" Kame asked.

"Kazuya, are you happy now?"

Kame sighed. "No."

"Just think about it, okay?" Erika said, as she got up from her seat. "Unfortunately, I can’t be sitting here all day. Will you be okay? Can you please at least smile?"

Kame half-smiled. "I’ll be fine."

"Kazuya-kun?" A voice interrupted them.

"Ah, Nakamaru-san." Kame greeted Yuichi’s mum. 

He wasn’t sure why she had approached him, but guessed since he was technically an in-law, she was probably being polite and wanted to be friendly. During his brother’s wedding, he hadn’t really interacted with his own parents, much less Yuichi’s parents, choosing to busy himself by taking photographs of everyone. This time though, he wasn’t the appointed wedding photographer, and had no excuse to avoid friendly conversation with the lady.

"We’re already family, just call me Hiromi." Yuichi’s mum began. "I never knew you were Erika-chan’s friend. What a coincidence! I guess it explains why you and Yuichi were chatting the last time. I wonder why that boy never mentioned it."

"Oh. Well, we aren’t that close." Kame said.

"What are you talking about?" Erika interjected. "They totally hit it off since they met."

Kame turned to stare wide-eyed at Erika, wondering what she was up to.

"Really?" Yuichi’s mum smiled. "Well if you’re Yuichi’s close friend, then you should definitely come over to our house so that we can get to know you better. You know, sometimes his father and I wonder if he has any other friends beyond Jin-kun. Oh and Tatsuya-kun and Ryo-kun of course."

"Ah, erm, I shouldn’t impose..."

"Nonsense. We’re family right? And my husband and I never really got to talk to you since you were away previously for the engagement lunch, and you were so busy during the wedding as well." Yuichi’s mum continued. "I insist that you come over for tea and dinner next week."

"That’s very kind of you, Hiromi-san. But I’m afraid I have work."

"Oh yes, you work at Jin-kun’s restaurant. Hm, that would be difficult since you’ll be most busy during meal times."

"Don’t worry, I’ll ask Jin to give you a day off." Erika said. "You hardly take days off anyway, it’s time you take a break."

"That’s so nice of you, Erika-chan." Yuichi’s mum said. "Well then, just let me know which is your day off and I’ll make the arrangements. Please excuse me now though, my husband seems to be calling me over."

Kame and Erika bowed as they watched her leave as quickly as she had approached them in the first place. Kame was slightly stunned, not sure how he ended up being invited to Yuichi’s parents’ house. He turned to Erika.

"What was that about?"

"I think she knows." Erika grinned.

Kame rolled his eyes. "What are you talking about? Yuichi hasn’t told his parents yet."

"Are you sure? She looks like she’s so eager to meet her future son-in-law."

"I am already an in-law, technically."

"Shut up, you know what I mean."

"You’re reading too much into this. And you’re making things worse." Kame frowned. "I can’t believe I’ll be meeting his parents when I’m not even having a relationship with him. This is all your fault."

Erika put on an innocent look. "How is it my fault? It was her idea to invite you to her house."

"Only because you made it sound like Yuichi and I were great friends."

"I don’t remember using the word ‘friends’ to describe you two."

"I think I liked you better when you were on the verge of having a breakdown over a missing bridal gown." Kame retorted. "At least you were too busy panicking to interfere with my love life."

"I’m just giving you a much needed push in the right direction." Erika smiled.

Kame scoffed. "More like pushing me off a cliff."

* * * * *

While sitting in the chauffeured limousine that was currently driving along a narrow road lined with a continuous row of trees, Kame wondered for the nth time what his best friend had gotten him into. He was pretty sure that the limousine had already went through the main gate of the Nakamaru estate, and was driving through what he presumed was the Nakamaru estate itself for the past minute, yet they still hadn’t reached the main house.

Kame remembered joking before that he had assumed Yuichi lived ‘in some huge mansion surrounded by acres of land’ and Yuichi had said that his family house was something like that, but this was even larger than he had imagined. While the Kamenashi family was quite well-to-do, and his family’s house was a mansion, the distance between the main gate and the main door was only a few car lengths and not the size of a few football fields. 

It only served to remind him of how different his and Yuichi’s worlds could be.

As Kame was brought into the house, he felt overcome by nervousness that he hadn’t felt for years. He wasn’t even sure why he had accepted the invitation, but he supposed he was always curious to know more about Yuichi.

"Oh, Kazuya-kun, you’re finally here!" Yuichi’s mum beamed upon seeing him. "Just in time. I hope you’re good at baking?"

"Eh?" Kame blinked, before realising that she was expecting an answer. "Ah, I can bake, but I’m not a pâtissier…"

"Oh don’t worry. I just wanted to get some suggestions from you. You see, Yuichi’s been so busy with work these days, and he looks like he has something on his mind. I understand that he wouldn’t be comfortable talking about it to me, but I was hoping to do something to cheer him up." Yuichi’s mum explained. "What cake do you think would be best?"

"Strawberry shortcake." Kame instinctively replied, remembering the first time they met. 

"Sou desu ne. That’s what I thought of first. But I’m afraid I could never make something as good as that from his favourite store."

"You mean BUN-NI-Sweets?" Kame asked. "It’s the thought that counts so I’m sure he’d appreciate it no matter what. I think just seeing a slice of strawberry shortcake is enough to make him happy."

"True." Yuichi’s mum laughed. "Would you mind helping me out? I’m sorry for asking you over only to make you help me with the baking. I promise to show you Yuichi’s childhood pictures and tell you all his embarrassing stories later so that you can use it against him when you need to?"

Kame smiled. "Don’t worry about it. I seldom bake cakes anyway, so it’ll be pretty fun."

As Kame helped out Yuichi’s mum, she told him stories of Yuichi when he was younger. Her friendliness managed to calm Kame’s nerves quickly, and he was reminded of the times when he used to help out his mum in the kitchen. It would be a lie if Kame said he didn’t miss his family. Even during Koji’s wedding, just seeing his brothers and his mum made him miss home. But while he had already found a stable job, his pride held him back from approaching his father. In his mind, he could imagine the things his father would probably say just to spite him, things like how he was still staying at other people’s apartments and how the only reason he got a job was through Erika’s connections. Kame wondered though, if he was just being stubborn.

A voice interrupted Kame’s thoughts. "You look like you have something on your mind too."

"Oh." Kame shook his head. "This just reminded me of the times when I was much younger and used to help out my mum in the kitchen."

"You must be really close to your mum?"

Kame nodded. "In the past."

"Kids these days, always so busy with their work and neglecting their parents." Yuichi’s mum chided lightly.

Kame chuckled. "Does Yuichi not come home often?"

"Hm?" Yuichi’s mum turned to Kame, looking a bit confused by his question.

"I know he has an apartment nearer to his office right? He mentioned that it was easier as he didn’t have to travel so much." Kame explained, careful to avoid letting out any unnecessary information that would raise her suspicion about his relationship with her son. "I assumed he would visit you now and then at least."

"The apartment?" Yuichi’s mum pondered. "Oh, the apartment he used a couple of months back. That was so long ago I forgot about it. Dear me, maybe my memory is getting bad."

"He doesn’t stay there anymore?"

"It was only temporary because Yuichi said he was very busy during that period. I’m surprised you even knew about the apartment, because even Jin-kun didn’t know about it until he called the house looking for Yuichi but my son wasn’t around." Yuichi’s mum replied, a touch of curiosity in her tone. "Yuichi didn’t tell you that he moved back?"

"Ah, no." Kame said, trying to maintain calm in his voice. The sudden information made him realised that Yuichi had intentionally gotten the apartment just so that they could...

"Kazuya-kun?"

"Ah, sorry, I was spacing out again, wasn’t I?" Kame bowed his head slightly in apology. "Sorry about that."

"Kazuya-kun, if you don’t mind me asking, what kind of relationship do you have with my son?"

"Eh?"

"Just that you seem to know things about him that I didn’t expect you to know, yet at the same time, you don’t seem to know certain things as well." She started. "Erika-chan said that you two were close so it seems a bit odd, that’s all. And Yuichi never did mentioned that he knew someone from the Kamenashi family when we first met your parents and brothers."

"Erika was just exaggerating. I only met him because he was there for Erika and Jin’s engagement party. I’ve met him a few times and he has also visited the restaurant, but we aren’t that close." Kame quickly explained. It wasn’t a complete lie.

"Is that so?" Yuichi’s mum nodded thoughtfully. "I remembered someone mentioning to me that he seems to really like your cooking and thus visited your restaurant very often."

Kame smiled politely, not sure how he should react to that, the nervousness returning again. Somehow, the fact that the lady knew about Yuichi visiting the restaurant often made him wary about how much she actually knew, and whether she was only pretending not to know to test him.

But just as sudden as the topic had started, Yuichi’s mum suddenly switched the topic back to cakes and was moving on to talk about making dinner for Yuichi. Kame just hoped that he was thinking too much, and that he would somehow survive the day intact.

* * * * *

"Tadaima." 

Yuichi greeted as he stepped into his house, taking off his jacket and passing it to the butler. His hand reached up to loosen his tie, unbuttoning the top button of his shirt as he made his way towards the kitchen. The aroma was making him hungry, and he figured he could just steal a few bites of whatever the servants had cooked.

He was surprised to see his mum busying herself in the kitchen, even more surprised to see the person helping out his mum.

"Kame?" Yuichi blurted out. Kame turned around briefly, nodding at him, before turning back to whatever he was cooking.

Yuichi thought that he was officially crazy and seeing things. Maybe thinking about Kame all day had finally resulted in him imagining that Kame was in his house and cooking dinner for him. Wanting to confirm that Kame was just a figment of his imagination and wasn’t really standing in his kitchen, Yuichi walked towards Kame, and stood next to the other, before reaching out to pinch Kame’s cheek.

"Hey!" Kame turned to Yuichi and glared, causing Yuichi to stumble backwards a little. "What was that for?"

"You’re really here!" Yuichi pointed at Kame, before suddenly remembering that his mum was in the kitchen as well, currently staring at him with raised eyebrows. "Eh?"

"I invited Kazuya-kun over to get to know him better since we never got a chance to speak to him last time." Yuichi’s mum explained. "Somehow I ended up asking him to help me with the cooking instead." She then turned to Kame and smiled. "Sorry Kazuya-kun, I’m such a terrible hostess, treating my guest like that. And please forgive my son for behaving like an idiot. Work seems to make him behave even more awkwardly than before."

"Okaasan!" Yuichi whined.

Kame couldn’t help the small smile that crept onto his face as he watched the mother and son interact. It had been a long time since he saw this side of Yuichi. It brought back memories of them in the apartment kitchen, when Kame would cook and Yuichi would act like a child. Back then, they usually ended up kissing before Kame had to pull away to make sure that whatever he was cooking didn’t get burnt.

He turned back towards the stove, vaguely paying attention to the conversation Yuichi and his mum were having. After she finished cooking her dish, a servant came into the kitchen to bring out the dish to the dining room, and Kame heard Yuichi’s mum excuse herself to get changed into ‘something that didn’t smell of garlic’. It meant that the two of them were left alone in the kitchen.

"What are you making?" 

He heard Yuichi’s soft voice next to his ear, feeling Yuichi’s body leaning into him from behind. Kame could feel his skin tingling from having Yuichi so close to him, but there were also alarm bells ringing in his head, reminding him of where the two of them were and that anyone could walk in on them. Kame turned towards where Yuichi’s head was next to his, eyes looking curiously into the frying pan. The right thing for Kame to do right now would be to push Yuichi away, but his stomach was doing flips and all he really wanted to do right now was to kiss the other.

Yuichi turned towards Kame when he noted the other’s lack of reply and how the ladle in Kame’s hand had suddenly stopped moving. When he noticed Kame looking back at him, Yuichi started leaning forward, capturing Kame’s lips briefly in a kiss, before pulling back reluctantly.

Kame blinked at Yuichi, momentarily stunned.

"I couldn’t help it." Yuichi said sheepishly. When Kame continued to stare at him, Yuichi pointed towards the frying pan. "You might want to make sure that doesn’t get burnt."

Yuichi’s words seemed to have brought Kame back to reality, as he quickly turned back to the stove and turned off the fire. He was still taken aback by Yuichi’s kiss, not expecting the other to make such a move in such a risky situation.

"Someone could have walked in on us." Kame mumbled.

"I know." Yuichi said. And yet, despite that knowledge, he didn’t regret his actions at all. Yuichi’s hand moved towards Kame’s free hand, his pinky intertwining with Kame’s. "Kame, can you trust me?"

"I don’t understand." Kame replied, confused.

"Please believe that I will do everything I can to make this work. It’s not false hope. I promise."

"Promises are meant-"

"Do you love me?"

Kame looked at Yuichi, feeling like his answer would probably have more consequences than he would have liked. But he remembered what Erika said to him the other day, about how he should stop being a coward. And she was right. There were many things that Kame had been running away from, and it was about time he stopped running.

"Yes." Kame said, realising that this was probably the first time he openly admitted it, to himself and to anybody else.

"I love you too, and I won’t regret loving you. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever." Yuichi declared, looking straight into Kame’s eyes. "So please believe in me?"

Kame nodded, as he moved his hand so that all their fingers were intertwining. "I believe in you."

* * * * *


	10. Chapter 10

When Yuichi opened his eyes the next morning, he was met with a familiar pair of beautiful brown eyes that seemed to have been watching him intently for quite a while now. At the thought, Yuichi couldn’t help the smile that graced his lips.

"Good morning." Kame greeted, before leaning forward to kiss Yuichi lightly on the lips. "You should get ready for work. I have a suit but I’m not sure if it fits you."

Yuichi shook his head as he remained lying on the couch, which he had slept on the night before. "It’s alright. I’ll just drop by at the shop to get one."

"Tsk." Kame clicked his teeth. "What do you want for breakfast, then?"

Yuichi resisted the urge to reply ‘you’. After all, his decision to sleep on the couch instead of sharing Kame’s bed last night was his way of showing to Kame that he wanted more than just a physical relationship. He also refrained from commenting that Kame was behaving like his wife, knowing that he wouldn’t get away with it. "Pancakes."

Kame nodded, before getting up from where he was seated on the carpet. "Anyway, you better get up soon. Atsuto was annoyed that his beloved couch was being used for sleeping."

Pushing himself up to a sitting position, Yuichi reached for Kame’s hand before the latter started walking off, pulling Kame into an embrace. Taking in Kame’s scent, it only served to remind Yuichi how much he had missed the other all these months. Yuichi sighed as he tighten his hold.

"What’s wrong?" Kame asked, as his arms snaked its way around Yuichi’s neck.

"Nothing." Yuichi shook his head. "Just trying to make sure this is real."

"I’ll try not to run away again."

"Even if you do, I’ll just run after you." Yuichi stated seriously. "I won’t let you run away from me again."

"Possessive, much?" Kame teased, as he pulled away, a smile on his face that Yuichi hadn’t seen in a while. "Now, let me go, so that I can make breakfast or you’ll be late for work."

"I’m the boss." Yuichi pointed out, reluctant to let Kame move away, his hands remaining at Kame’s waist "Although I do have a meeting today, but that’s in the afternoon. What time do you need to get to work? I can drop you off."

"I took the day off today too." Kame said. "I’m moving."

"What? You’re running away already?"

"No." Kame rolled his eyes. "I’m moving back to Erika’s apartment. Or rather, I’m taking over the lease from her since she’s moved in with Akanishi. That’s why there are all these boxes around." 

Kame waved dismissively at the few cardboard boxes lying next to the television, which Yuichi had not noticed the night before.

"Oh, in that case, I’ll take the day off too and help you move." Yuichi volunteered.

"Didn’t you say you have a meeting in the afternoon?" Kame raised an eyebrow.

"I’ll postpone it."

"Don’t." Kame chided. "I don’t want to be accused of turning you into an irresponsible president, especially when your parents aren’t happy with the situation as it is. You’re going to turn up for work, go for your meeting, then you can come over tonight."

"But don’t you need help moving?"

"Atsuto’s helping me. He worked the night shift yesterday so that he could take the day off and be my slave today." Kame grinned. "Anyway, I don’t have that many things to move. My old bed is still there and I also left my photography equipment back in the apartment since I couldn’t possibly move the dark room here."

"Okay, okay. I’ll listen to you and be a responsible president." Yuichi agreed reluctantly, before he had a sudden thought. "You won’t spend the whole day moving right? Can we meet for dinner? I want to take you out, on a proper date."

Kame blinked, surprised, before smiling brightly. "I was planning on meeting my father actually. But it’ll be brief. So yes, I would love to have dinner with you later."

"Great! I’ll make reservations."

"I think we should keep it low key though." Kame said. "Your father kind of kicked you out of the house, remember? I highly doubt he’ll be happy to see paparazzi photos of us on a date."

"But I said I’ll make it work-" Yuichi began, wanting to remind Kame that he had promised that he’d do everything he could to make sure everything would turn out alright, but he was cut off by Kame’s lips on his once more.

"Don’t worry. It’s not as if I am expecting you to flaunt me as your boyfriend." Kame reassured Yuichi, before pointing a figure at the latter. "Which also means, you better not turn up in a limousine with a bouquet of roses or something.  As much as I would enjoy seeing you bring out the non-existent romantic side of you, I’m not a girl and don’t want to be treated as such."

"What ‘non-existent romantic side’? I happen to be very romantic when I want to be." Yuichi pretended to scowl.

"Well, nice to hear that, but could the two of you stop making out on my couch?" A sleepy voice interrupted them. The two turned to see Atsuto glaring at them, his hair sticking out in different directions. "I use that couch to laze about and play my games. I would prefer if you two avoid doing anything disgusting while sitting on it."

"Awww, Atsuto. I know you’re just jealous that my lovely piece of ass will never belong to you." Kame teased, wiggling his ass as he did so, before he extracted himself from Yuichi’s embrace. "Alright, I have to go make pancakes for three hungry people."

Yuichi watched Kame make his way towards the kitchen, bringing back memories of before. It was moments like this that made it all worthwhile. 

* * * * *

Kame walked along the corridors of the hospital. Ever since the day he had decided to hang up his white coat, which resulted in a falling out with his father, Kame had avoided the hospital at all costs. Despite the years he had been away, despite some new faces around, there was still a sense of familiarity about that place. 

"Well I never thought that I would see this face again."

Kame turned to the familiar voice, grinning at his former university school mate and colleague. "Honda, you’ve dyed your hair back to black."

"Apparently being blond meant that people weren’t taking me seriously, both patients and some interns."

"I hear you have been torturing your juniors."

"Atsuto spreading rumours about me?" Honda shook his head. "He’s probably the only one who doesn’t get treated the same way as others of his rank. It’s your fault, you know."

"Yes, yes, you’ve mentioned it before." Kame laughed.

"Anyway, what are you doing back here?" Honda asked. "Not that you don’t have a right to be here, but I figured you’d never step foot into this place again."

"Hm." Kame nodded. He vaguely remembered those times when he complained to Honda about being stuck in hell and wanting to escape. "I’m looking for my father."

"I see." Honda said, not prodding further. "Anyway, I’ve got to get going. Surgery." Walking away, Honda waved behind him dismissively. "I’ll see you when I see you." 

"Acting cool as always." Kame chuckled, before continuing on his way to his father’s office.

Standing in front of the door to his father’s office, Kame took a deep breath. The last time he had been in the office was also the last time he had spoken to his father. He remembered stomping out of the room after an argument, leaving the hospital in anger, and packing his bags and leaving the house without explaining anything to his worried mother. They had been arguing a lot during that time, his father often reprimanding him for his attitude, and Kame feeling that he was being harshly treated by his father. 

He raised his hand to knock on the door.

"Come in." He heard his father call out after a couple of seconds. Kame hesitated, but then reminded himself that he needed to grow up and face this. He pushed the door opened.

"Hi." Kame greeted awkwardly, as his father looked up from his documents he had been pouring through.

"You should have called instead of dropping in without notice." His father immediately said. No welcome, just the familiar bite in his words. Kame was about to reply that he didn’t call because he wasn’t sure if his father would have picked up the phone anyway, but bit his lip instead. "I have a meeting in about fifteen minutes. Make it quick, or come back later."

Kame closed his eyes, feeling that familiar anger boiling in him once more. He always hated how his father acted like speaking to Kame was a waste of his precious time. "You never change." The words slipped out before Kame could hold them back.

His father merely looked at him for a brief second, before turning back to his documents. "If that’s all you wanted to say, you may leave now."

"It’s always been like that." Kame continued. "Like old times. Like when we were younger and you were hardly around because you always put work ahead of family."

"And you haven’t changed either." This time his father put down the documents and the pen he was holding, looking straight at Kame with a serious face. "If you are still thinking in that way, then it’s clear you haven’t matured. Don’t come and look for me until you’ve grown up. Wasn’t that what I told you?"

Instinctively, Kame wanted to argue with his father once more, but remembering the reason why he was here, in this dreaded room that only brought back unhappy times, Kame withheld his words. Instead, he took a deep breath, refusing to let his father bait him further into another argument.

"I did not come here to argue with you." Kame began. "Although it did bring back memories."

Seeing that Kame had no intention of leaving, and neither was his son here to start another argument, Kame’s father indicated to his son to take the seat in front of his desk.

Kame shook his head, although he appreciated his father’s gesture. "It’s okay. You’re busy. I’ll make this quick."

"You took the day off?"

Kame nodded. He licked his lips, feeling nervous. In his head, he had already rehearsed endlessly the apology to his father. He took another deep breath. "I’m sorry."

His father just continued looking at him, not stopping him, but not ignoring him either. Kame took it as a sign to continue. "I’m sorry for not turning out to be the perfect son like my brothers. I appreciate the money you spent sending me to medical school, and I know I’m a huge disappointment to you because I decided to quit. But I just wanted to say that I’m happy right now, happy being a chef, and I really hope that you will support my decision even though it’s not something you would have liked."

The minute of silence that passed between them felt like an eternity to Kame, as he noted his father studying him carefully. It reminded him of the times when he was younger and his father would study his grade report card in silence while Kame stood by. Kame thought of excusing himself since he had already said his piece, but he really wanted to know what his father was currently thinking. It came as a relief when his father finally broke the silence.

"When are you coming back for dinner?"

Kame blinked, not expecting the question. It took him a few seconds before he realised that it was his father’s way of reconciling things between them. "Ah, erm, soon. I’ll need to take another day off though, since, you know, working at the restaurant means it’s a bit hard for me to go home for dinner and-"

"You’re on leave today, right? You can come back for dinner today. Just give your mum a call."

"Oh yes, I’m on leave, but..." Kame paused, remembering Yuichi’s promise to take them out on a ‘date’ this evening.

It was almost as if his father could read his mind. It was somewhat embarrassing.

"You have a date?" His father asked. "You can bring her home. Or him."

"Him." Kame confirmed.

"Well, your mother would love to meet your boyfriend, so if he doesn’t mind you can always bring him home to dinner."

Kame could imagine Yuichi freaking out at meeting his parents. Not that Yuichi hadn’t already met Kame’s parents, but it had been in a different sort of situation. He figured it was only fair though, since he had to go through meeting Yuichi’s parents the day before. As long as Kame kept his big mouth shut and didn’t start another argument with his father over something stupid, he was sure it would end up much better than it did yesterday.

It would also be fun seeing Yuichi squirm non-stop from all the anxiety.

"I’ll ask him." Kame smiled. "I’ll let mum know."

Kame’s father nodded, before picking up the pen and turning back to his work, signalling the end of their conversation. Moving towards the door, Kame felt like a huge weight had finally been lifted off his shoulders.

"Thanks, dad." 

* * * * *

Yuichi checked his watch as the others dispersed from the meeting room, noting that there would still be at least another hour before he could get out of work to meet Kame.

"Shachou-san, your mother is here. She’s waiting for you in your office."

"Oh. Okay." Yuichi answered. He had kind of expected his mum to approach him to talk about what happened last night, but hadn’t expected her to do so immediately the day after. The night before, when Yuichi had revealed the truth to his parents, his dad was shocked, to say the least. But she had remained quiet the whole time.

"Sorry, I was in a meeting." Yuichi said as he entered his room, moving to settle into his seat. He took a quick glance at the clock, reminding himself that in about an hour, he would be able to see Kame again. "Otousan... is he okay?"

"Could be better." Yuichi’s mum replied. "He still thinks that you’re just being impulsive and not thinking clearly. I do agree with him that you’re being a little impulsive."

Yuichi closed his eyes momentarily, his index finger and thumb moving to press the bridge of his nose. While he had always been used to his father being strict with him, truthfully, he wasn’t used to being on the receiving end of his mum’s disapproval. "This is not a one-time thing. I was never in love with any of the girls I dated."

"I know. I always knew."

Yuichi looked at his mum in surprise. "You... knew?"

She nodded. "I knew that you were in love with Jin-kun. It was pretty obvious that you were always putting him ahead of all your girlfriends. Of course, he’s your best friend, so it made sense that you were so close to him, but I could tell after a while that you were simply not interested in any of those girls, and that Jin-kun mattered more to you than anyone else."

He was dumbfounded. All those years, he had assumed that no one knew about his crush on Jin, except for Ueda whom he had admitted it to. He had assumed that he hid it well enough, especially since Jin had never suspected anything.

"I was worried that you would get depressed over his marriage." His mum continued, seeing how he was too surprised to say anything. "Which is why I’m worried that you’re being impulsive now, and that you are only with Kazuya-kun because you wanted to replace Jin-kun."

Yuichi frowned. "That’s not true. Kazuya is not a replacement for Jin."

"How sure are you of that? Didn’t you only meet him at Jin-kun’s engagement party? It seems really coincidental. What if you just think that you’re in love with Kazuya-kun, as a reaction to Jin’s engagement and wedding?"

"He’s not a rebound." Yuichi insisted. "Nothing you say will change my feelings for Kazuya. I’m happy. He makes me happy. Can’t you just be happy for me?"

"What parent wouldn’t wish for their child’s happiness? I am just worried that this is not really happiness. That this is just temporary ecstasy over a stranger."

Yuichi took a deep breath. He really did not want to get angry with his mum. He could understand her concerns, but he wanted her to understand him. He wanted his parents to accept him and Kame.

"At first, I thought so too." Yuichi began slowly. "I thought that I would soon get over this attraction I had to him. But the more time I spent with him, the more it felt... different. With Jin... he’s important to me, but I’ve always felt guilty about my feelings for him. I’ve always felt it was wrong. But with Kazuya, even in the circumstances that I was in, cheating on Maki and everything.... despite that, it still felt right. This feels right, even if it makes absolutely no sense."

"Love doesn’t make sense, does it?" His mum said, a tinge of sadness in her tone. "But it is going to be difficult, because not everyone will accept your relationship."

"I know." Yuichi nodded. "I’m prepared for the consequences."

"I just hope things will all work out in the end." 

* * * * *

From his car, Yuichi saw Kame waiting at the exit of the train station, dressed simply in a checkered red shirt over white t-shirt, and a pair of jeans. Even so, Kame still stood out from the crowd, exuding confidence just leaning against the wall. A few metres away, Yuichi noticed a couple of girls giggling as they pointed at Kame. It took all of Yuichi’s self-control not to jump out of his car, run over and kiss Kame in front of everyone, just to show the world who Kame belonged to. Instead, he took the more logical approach of driving closer, pulling to the side and pressing the car honk to get Kame’s attention.

"Hey." Kame greeted as he got into the car and buckled himself in. "Hm... you know, I’ve been meaning to say this the last two times I was in your car, but just didn’t think it was appropriate then."

"You’re not going to complain about my driving, are you?" Yuichi asked, amused. "I get that a lot."

"I was going to talk about how normal your car seems."

Yuichi raised an eyebrow. "Were you expecting wings and hidden machine guns?"

Kame laughed. "No. Unless you’re Batman in disguise. It’s just that this car seems so normal for your status. Not that I dislike it. I rather like it in fact. It’s nice, on the outside and inside. And it’s comfortable. Very much like you, I guess."

Yuichi ignored how Kame’s statement could be taken in the wrong way. "Well that’s good that you like my car. It’s eco-friendly too."

"Ah, I remember that time when you started going on and on about making sure all your hotels were green and eco-friendly, and how you were also planning to furnish the serviced apartments with more eco-friendly furniture or something like that." Kame said.

"I did?" Yuichi asked. "Well, my company has already been putting those plans into place."

"That’s good to hear and all, but I would prefer if you avoid such lectures during sex next time."

"I did not talk about all that during sex!" Yuichi protested, despite knowing that Kame was probably just teasing him like he used to. "It was over breakfast or something, I’m sure."

"Oh right, sorry, my mistake. You’re usually too busy using your mouth for other things to be lecturing me-"

"Kame!"

Kame laughed heartily when he noticed the blush on Yuichi’s face, clapping his hands as he did so. "You’re so easy to tease."

"You’re enjoying this too much."

"Anyway, turn left here." Kame suddenly said.

"Hm?" Yuichi looked at Kame, confused, but turned left anyway. "The restaurant I booked is actually a few blocks down the road. Did you have somewhere else you wanted to go?"

"Did you just say you booked a whole restaurant?" Kame looked at Yuichi, amused.

"No." Yuichi lied.

"Well I hope you didn’t, cos you’re going to have to cancel the reservation." Kame said, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Turn right after the traffic light and onto the highway after that."

"What? You could have told me earlier, y’know." Yuichi grumbled. "It’s not nice for me to cancel at the last minute."

"One table reservation cancelled shouldn’t affect them too much, right?" Kame pointed out, his tone suggesting that he knew Yuichi had actually booked the whole restaurant instead. 

Yuichi remembered Kame stating earlier in the morning that he wanted things to be kept low key, and figured that Kame was, in a way, punishing him for not listening. He figured this would be the first of many battles he would lose to Kame, not that he minded too much. "Where are we going then?"

"You’ll know when we arrive. Take the first exit off the highway later, okay?"

"What’s with the secret?" Yuichi asked.

"You’ll know." Kame repeated.

Fifteen minutes later, Yuichi found himself pulling into the driveway of the Kamenashi household, complaining non-stop about how Kame should have warned him, and protesting that he wasn’t ready for this and how he was going to make a fool of himself.

"But that’s what is so likeable about you." Kame said as Yuichi turned off the ignition. "It’s not like you haven’t already met my parents."

"Different circumstances."

"Well, it was my dad’s suggestion. And I called my mum earlier and she was glad to have you over too. And it’s only going to be the four of us. At least my brothers won’t be here to interrogate you."

"Did you tell your parents who your boyfriend is?"

"No. Isn’t it more fun that way?" Kame grinned, before leaning forward, kissing Yuichi on the lips. "Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. And you’re already looking mighty fine in this new suit of yours, by the way."

Yuichi blushed. "Stop teasing me."

"I’m just complimenting you on your taste." Kame said as he got out of the car, signalling for Yuichi to follow.

When Kame pressed the doorbell instead of opening the door with his house key, it was then that Yuichi remembered about Kame’s apparent distant relationship with his family. He had never pressed Kame about it before, mainly because he never really had the chance to ask. He put a mental note to ask Kame about it later. They had all the time in the world now to get to know each other better.

"Don’t worry." Kame repeated when he noticed Yuichi looking at him, reaching out to hold his hand. "You’ll be fine."

Yuichi nodded, closing his fingers around Kame’s hand, squeezing. 

"We’ll be fine." 

* * * * *


	11. Epilogue

Having already known about Kame’s bisexuality years ago, his family were quick to accept Kame and Yuichi’s relationship, although they were surprised when they first found out the identity of his boyfriend. 

Kame’s mum treated Yuichi like her own son, even though she already had four. 

Of his three brothers, his second brother found the situation most uncomfortable at first, since Yuichi was his brother-in-law (Yuichi’s sister was shocked, but happy that her brother had finally made a decision for himself and not for the family). However, he soon got over the awkwardness and just found it funny. All three brothers took turns to threaten to break Yuichi’s bones if he ever broke Kame’s heart.

Kame still argued with his father, but their arguments these days were over trivial things like baseball (though baseball could never be considered trivial to them both). Somehow, his father always seemed to have a different opinion from him, even when it was obvious that Kame was right.

Kame’s father did not understand how Yuichi could prefer soccer over baseball, but liked that Yuichi wasn’t changing his favourite sport just to please him or his son.

"I always knew they’ll love you." Kame whispered to Yuichi one evening, when they were seated in the garden, while the rest of the Kamenashi family were busy entertaining guests in the house. They were having a party to celebrate the one-month birthday of Kame’s new niece. Kame’s half leaning into Yuichi, hands holding, as they stare into the night sky. 

*

While Yuichi’s mum had grown to adore Kame, conquered by Kame’s charms like most people, Yuichi’s father was still aloof towards him. He had somewhat come to terms with their relationship, but wasn’t fully accepting of it.

With a few companies threatening to cut ties upon hearing of the situation, Yuichi stepped down from his role at the company. His father handed the business over to his brother, Yuichi’s uncle, but allowed Yuichi to keep the subsidiaries that he had set up during his time as the company’s president. 

Together with Ueda, the two left to set up their own company to run those businesses, with Ueda’s family providing the financial backing. The partnership with KMNS Healthcare Group was also transferred to the new company.

Ryo quit and was now working for Jin. Somehow that didn’t stop the daily bantering between him and Ueda.

Kame almost lost his job when Jin’s father thought of terminating his contract, as a show of support to Yuichi’s father. Jin stepped in and insisted that the restaurant was his own project and only he could decide who to hire and fire. It marked the second time Kame thanked Jin for helping him (the first being when Jin offered him the job).

"Remember, Kamenashi, you’re indebted to me." Jin reminded Kame, when the latter threw another insult at him. Kame rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything else, as they focus their attention on the newborn baby in Erika’s arms. 

*

Yuichi moved in with Kame, a few days after Kame had moved back to the apartment.

There was a wall which Kame decorated with black and white photos of Yuichi that he took in the past, and that he often took now. Yuichi got embarrassed by it, and suggested that Kame included a picture of himself as well.

"Sure. I’ll put a black and white, life-size, naked picture of me on the wall over there." Kame answered easily, pointing at the blank wall that faced the window.

Yuichi immediately rejected the idea, and decided that he would just ignore those pictures of himself and pretend that it was just some wallpaper. 

*

With his change of job, Yuichi didn’t have to work as long hours as before, and occasionally even worked from home, but he noticed that Kame was constantly at the restaurant instead. On Yuichi’s insistence (and his influence on Jin), Kame was forced to take the evening off on every alternate day, so that Yuichi could have Kame to himself more often. 

Initially, to show his displeasure, Kame invited Atsuto over to the apartment on those days. 

Yuichi complained that it was like having a son who didn’t know how to give his parents privacy. 

Atsuto, despite appreciating the free dinners, wasn’t keen on witnessing the public displays of affection and stopped accepting Kame’s invitations after a while.

"You behave like you would rather be working than spending more time with me." Yuichi complained one Sunday evening, when Kame cooked green peas for dinner, despite knowing that it was Yuichi’s least favourite food.

Kame reached over to scoop the green peas off Yuichi’s plate. "I just like the idea of coming home after a long day of work, feeling absolutely battered, but knowing that you’re at home waiting for me."

Since then, Yuichi intentionally worked late in the office on those days that Kame didn’t have the evening off, and picked up Kame on the way home.

"I think I prefer being able to go home with you, instead of just waiting for you to come home."

They now had four dogs – Mister, Choco, Ran & Jelly – waiting for them at home. 

*

One day, at the office, Yuichi received a pink box with the familiar big bold cartoonish words 'BUN-NI-Sweets!' on top. He opened the box, fully expecting the shop’s famous strawberry shortcake, but instead found a soft toy of the mascot, with a sign in its hands.

The sign read: 

I do. 

*

_the end._


End file.
